gnuneo
milliband is not fit to lick his boots.

balls may have been hoodwinked into supporting new labour, but millipede believes only in his own empowerment and egotistic glorification. A true child of Lord Meddlesome, and one without any values or indeed value whatsoever.
vote green
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Well, not many agreed with you in the leadership election. Ed M got more than three times the first and second choice votes that Balls did. And on New Labour, Miliband only joined government towards the end of its time in power, Balls was at the centre of the New Labour regime that allowed deregulation of banking, was supremely relaxed about investment bankers becoming stinking rich, and left a generation without secure housing: he has a lot to answer for.

I am less enthralled by Balls than others. But Ed M has only just started in winning me back to Labour. It needs to ditch neoliberalsim for starters; it should top down reform banking, and not return to the irresponsible lending that Balls' wife, Yvette Cooper, called for after using our money to rescue those disgraceful, wealth destroying bankers.

Do not give way Miliband!

crabstix:
Ed M has just appointed hinself an unsackable shadow chancellor. Stupid boy. Those that fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them.
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The Bolsheviks after the death of Lenin decided to learn from history and not elect a potential new Napoleon (Trotsky), they went for what seemed from history the safer, bet (Stalin).

It depends what lessons you learn from history, and sometimes not be trapped by them. It's gonna be crucial to Labour - and frankly all of us - for this team to work. And Balls may seem unsackable being the second appointment (although I do not understand how he is to be blamed for Alan Johnson's wife's behaviour), but Balls will make himself even less liked than he already is if he makes waves within Labour.

@gnuneo

And you know this how?

Vote Green, Get Blue.

gnuneo,
I have met Miliband and seen him speak live. I promise and I say this with complete sincerity and honesty -I promise you, you are so wrong. If he only cares about his ego and has no principles then why was he willing to stick his neck out and turn the page on new labour. He didn't have to do that. I have connections to him and i can tell you that people close to him were impressed at how he was not changed by power, but how david was. Just look at his leadership style. He is a stark contrast from the egotistical and presidential style of blair. He has put an end to the new labour machosim and there is more discussion and democracy in the labour party now. I promise you, you are wrong and you will probably realise that a few years from now.

Mehdi, we agree that Ed M is top dog on economic policy, but your attempt to make this a savvy move by Ed Miliband and not something forced on him by his colleagues, circumstance and the stupidity of his initial appointment of the charming but inexpert AJ won't wash.

This is not good for Ed Miliband and you should stop shamelessly spinning that it is.

Back in 1997, Ann Widdecombe remarked "there is somethihg of the night" about Michael Howard.

What will Miliband utter in the future? "Et tu Ed?".

Balls will then proclaim:
"People and senators, be not affrighted; Fly not; stand stiff: ambition's debt is paid. "

Ambition indeed!

I think i just saw the names of Miliband and Balls brought into the company of Trotsky. Isn't it bad enough for Trotsky that he received an ice-pick to the back of his head from Stalin?

Mary Nash writes, 'Ed Balls was also instrumental in introducing the minimum wage.'

Do you mean that if Ed Balls didn't exist there would be no minimum wage? This kind of fandom in politics is always embarrassing and is the last thing a socialist should go in for.

The adverse remarks made by the staunch Tories over Ed Balls' appointment as shadow chancellor speaks volumes of their fear. They know that his economic knowledge and more aggressive approach will have Osborne exposed as the chancellor who chances our economy on the strength of a massive idealogical gamble which we all know will seriously damage the future prosperity of this Country.

Wag the finger of blame all you like at Labour over the lack of bank regulation, but ask yourself this; what has the coalition done to bring the banks under control?

Blame Labour all you like, and pretend the global crisis somehow missed this country, to do so is foolish, get real to the impact it had upon us.

You Tories may mock Ed Balls, but not half as he'll mock your beloved chancellor, Osborne needs to be worried and in truth, we all know he is.

See Luddite's swearing, does he think it makes him clever or hard?

Bamber, you have a point. I can't believe people are relying on, and waiting for, this sorry bunch of careerists to turn the tide on Tory policies. They won't! They secretly like most of the policies. Shouldn't we be organizing and hitting the streets to get the job done? I know it's tough with most of the union leadership infiltrated by New Labour operatives, but the NHS can not go down the toilet without at least a fight.

We are now where we should have been when EM announced his shadow cabinet in the first place. For me this only makes Labour even stronger. I cant wait to see EB take GO on, should make interesting viewing.

The NHS is about to undergo more massive privatisation and this is about the most you New Labour lot can get worked up about. David's haircut is nicer than Ed's, blah, blah, blah. What a mess. No wonder you got yourselves kicked out of government. The roots of the party were ripped out long ago and it's still out of touch with the lives of working class people.

Cut through the tory crap. Mr Posh and his side kick Gideon fear this appointment. Ed Balls is a real economist Ed Miliband has made the right call. The ecomomy is on the rocks just look at todays figures. The cuts are wrong and this is what Mr Balls said at this years confrence fringe. Responsibility for the deficit comes from accross the pond greedy people lending money they could never get back and the bankers hiding this. Capitalism at its worst. I know that many of you lack the will to accept this fact but its true. Ed and Ed will make this useless directionless govenrment eat their words. Try to grow up and not tell lies. The cuts will kill us!!!

The fact that,yet again Ed Miliband got it wrong sadly is showing in his short time as leader that Ed M is nothing but gaffe prone,the move to bring Balls in should have been done at the start of his leadership not now.

Perhaps,just perhaps 8 months after the election labour may be able to start opposition because so far they've been awful.

Nick, live a dream live a lie.. Labour's fucked!! it no longer knows who it represents.

Mehdi says that Ed B has a problem reconciling his disagreement with Darlings plan.
My view is that there isn't a problem, because Darlings' plan 'was' about waiting for strong growth,(timing), creating jobs for young people, (future jobs programme) and just 'halving' the deficit, meaning less redundancies etc.
A plan that creates jobs and growth, serves to naturally reduce the deficit, which is what Ed B said yesterday.
Michael Fallon was sticking the knife into Ed B yesterday at the earliest opportunity, I believe the Tories are scared!
I feel really sorry for Alan Johnson though.

Phew!
It has taken an unfortunate episode but thank goodness Ed Balls is where he should be.
The Labour front bench will suddenly look more threatening to the
Tory government,rightly so,because Balls has more financial nous in his little finger that Tories Cameron,Clegg and Osbourne put together.

Breathed a sigh of relief last night when this was announced. Balls should have been Shadow Chancellor in the first place. The front bench looks much stronger as a result of this reshuffle. Balls will destroy Osborne and is also more than capable of developing the radical economic policy Labour needs.

Ed M has just appointed hinself an unsackable shadow chancellor. Stupid boy. Those that fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them.

@Nick, don't be so bitchy. You don't like what Luddite says, fine. But I think that you're too considered to arrogantly assign differences of opinion to ignorance on the part of the person you're disagreeing with.

@Union Steve, you're an ignoramus. No, I'm joking. But I disagree with your assessment of Ed Balls. I think him and Brown were disastrously incompetent. Yes, yes, I know the financial crisis is described as global. It's not, though. China, Norway, Israel...plenty of countries came through it unscathed. And yes, their economies are very different to ours: but who was controlling the direction of the UK economy for 13 years? Gordon & Eds B&M stood back and let our economy coast along on a bubble of prosperity based on cheap imports, rising property prices (and the associated illusion of increasing personal wealth) and public sector expenditure (not investment) paid for by misdirected borrowing under the most imbecilic contracts with the private sector via the PPP.

Mr Balls accepts that spending cuts will have to be made. But believes they must not come until the economic recovery is well entrenched. Mr Balls also thinks the Chancellor George Osborne is making a fundamental mistake trying to cut Labour's appalling deficit so quickly. Labour simply hopes that the electorate will forgive and forget the reason for these vicious but necessary cuts. But lets never forget Mr Balls and Miliband both share responsibility for these cut-backs.

crabstix wrote, "Ed M has just appointed hinself (sic) an unsackable shadow chancellor."

All shadow cabinet positions are up for re-election in just under two years. Were Balls to under-perform, he would not be re-elected.

Balls himself may want to broaden his experience at some point, so he may not want to be shadow chancellor for the whole of the next four years.

Yvette Cooper would also make a good shadow chancellor.