Sunday, September 07, 2008

Steady as She Sinks, Says Balls

Ed Balls was on Andrew Marr this morning and got a right pasting. His main message, according to Marr, was 'steady as she sinks'. He reckons the only mistake Labour has made is not to be hard enough on the Conservatives and they need to take the gloves off. 'Oh', said Marr, 'so the solution to your problems is to be nasty to the Conservatives?' Balls is so out of his depth.

Click HERE to watch him squirm. Scroll forward to about 50 minutes.

UPDATE: Incredibly, Ben Brogan thinks the boy Balls done well.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

"He reckons the only mistake Labour has made is not to be hard enough on the Conservatives and they need to take the gloves off.

Ali Campbell was on Newsnight last week saying exactly the same thing. Why the heck are they taking the advice of this hasbeen?

Alas, I think we can hear more of the same in the coming weeks. Watch out for some anti Tory stuff on Newsnight shortly.

Anonymous said...

i did not see it. But Coffee House thinks he did all right.

I think I prefer to believe you since I find it difficult to see Balls succeeding in anything -- after all he along with Brown is responsible for our cocked up econmomy - indeed it all might be all his idea since Brown has shown via his appointment of Stephen Carter, for one, that he is clueless at appointing advisors.

Anonymous said...

"econmomy" !!

Apologies, but I am writing this from Scotland ... where BTW all the papers are amazingly parochial.

Anonymous said...

It was a cavalier performance - took absolutely no responsibility for anything. I particularly liked the 'lowest debt in Europe' line. The man takes brown nosing to new lows. If I were genuinely experiencing hardship I'd have been disgusted. Hey ho - on we go I guess.

Anonymous said...

The man is a fool and looks like the bloke off the McDonald add who says"and now there is bacon" makes me laugh anyway.

So its full steam ahead into the nearest iceberg then.If he really is as well educated as people claim(I wont say clever) then his parents should ask for a refund and a DNA test.

strapworld said...

Easy ride by Jug Ears! Obviously well primed and rehearsed!

I reckon Cameron must be shaking in his boots that Brown will be taking him on now! I reckon the old despatch box is going to get another smothering of the Brown Indelible Ink!!!

Brown should be reminded that it is he that has to answer questions!

Why doesn't Cameron call a point of order when Brown asks questions and asks for a ruling from the Speaker quoting Erskine and May and previous Speakers. Really embarass both scottish fools! That would be a change.

Mr. Speaker this has gone on for too long I must ask you for a ruling. Is this Prime Ministers Question Time? Can he be allowed to ask questions of me and fellow honourable members? Erskine and May says.....etc etc what a wheeze that would be.

Anonymous said...

I think Marr let him off lightly, especially "we have to do this" line from Balls is he finally admitting that Marr is a lab stooge?

Anonymous said...

So...

2-0 down and into the second half. The Captains badly injured and refuses to be subbed or give up the armband, not that anyone wants to take it off him anyway. The forwards can't hold up the ball let alone get a shot on target. The defence is panicking everytimes there's an attack. The midfield is non existant.

The captian and the vice capitain are squabbling about tactics. All the subs are as inept as those already out there anyway.

Yes there's time, but realistically thats all there is.

Anonymous said...

Balls is a pathetic individual who does not realise how silly he sounds. I do hope he is on the TV a lot more. Every time he appears he is doing a wonderful job for the Conservatives. Why does no interviewer ask him about all the money he and his wife have "stolen" from we taxpayers !

Anonymous said...

The interview was probably scripted. Brogan is gullible.

Old BE said...

"I think it's really important..."

Man in a Shed said...

Interesting he tries the same trick as Paul Mason ( of our oh so neutral and not constitutionally left wing at all BBC ) - trying to suggest the economic crisis only happen under Conservative administrations.

This is part of Labour problem - the created a false reality to sell to people to win power, but now they inhabit that fairy world themselves.

PS For the younger generation if at the end of the 1980's you'd suggested Labour ran economies well the person listening would have probably had a cardiac arrest laughing themselves to death.

There only response - from their tax free second homes and double (in the Balls families case) ministerial salaries and gold plated pensions is to tell everyone else its all fine. I hope Balls loses his seat and has to get a job in the real world - but then I might have laugh myself to death.

Anonymous said...

ANDREW MARR: ...thank you for coming in. Let's...

ED BALLS: Time to get serious after Rory.

ANDREW MARR: It's quite hard to do this without, without giggling...

ED BALLS: Exactly.

ANDREW MARR: ...but we'll try.

ED BALLS: We will.

ANDREW MARR: Particularly given the political situation. Let's start with some education."


What had Rory Bremner just said?

"All of a sudden we're back in the 60s. Rising inflation, Labour in trouble, a cold war with Russia...."

"Police investigating a plot to kill Gordon Brown have narrowed the suspects down to 60 million."

Anonymous said...

done good, surely?

Anonymous said...

"We're uniqely well placed to weather the storm"

"The Tories have no policies"

"Times are tough and you want a tried and tested team.

These are the three key message Labour are trying to get across. Some or all of them, or some variant there of, come out in every interview.

But they are nonsense. We have the highest deficit we've ever had, the Tories have some quite good policies actually - Labour have nicked the ones on Welfare reform, IHT, CGT and immigration - and Brown is the architect of this mess through repeated failure to meet his borrowing targets.

Why does the BBC persist in letting them get away with the proverbial "oft-repeated lie"?

Anonymous said...

There was plenty of ersatz huffing and puffing and some very mild scoffing from Marr, but he certainly didn't deliver anything resembling a pasting, Iain. Blinky was given an easy ride - quelle surprise!

Anonymous said...

Mr Testes wouldn't have put up with a verbal pasting, especially not given how touchy and aggressive he is. He'd have leant forward threateningly and said, with weird eyes bulging, something like "Look here, Marr, I thought you were one of us? Stop rocking the bloody boat! We agreed what you'd ask me in the Green Room! Bastard! Stop this interview NOW!"

Alan Douglas said...

Precious ! I had the delightful experience of the player sloooowwiiinnggg dooowwwnnnn whenever Balls was showing how well-named he is !

If I am paying 20 p for food, 15 p for mortgage, 20 p for children and other life expenses, of COURSE they are all the fault for my being broke - the 46p the Labour government steals from me has NOTHING to do with it !

Alan Douglas

Anonymous said...

zena phobe said... "The interview was probably scripted. Brogan is gullible"
Yeah, he’s gullible alright, as only the top respected political journalist of that Labour lovin’ Mail can be.

Iain Dale said… “Ed Balls was on Andrew Marr this morning and got a right pasting”
Yeah. He’s a right little terrier eh? As per usual, sniping and interrupting. Balls could hardly get a sentence out.

strapworld said... “Easy ride by Jug Ears! Obviously well primed and rehearsed!”
The Tory automaton response.

richard said... "He reckons the only mistake Labour has made is not to be hard enough on the Conservatives and they need to take the gloves off. Ali Campbell was on Newsnight last week saying exactly the same thing. Why the heck are they taking the advice of this hasbeen?”
Because he’s the best, and he’s right, and if he’s back and offering advice you should worry.

Anonymous said...

Tell me one person in the cabinet or, indeed, one Labour MP who is NOT out of their depth?

Anonymous said...

I posted on politicalbetting.com at just after 10 am this morning the following: "Balls, on Andrew Marr’s programme has demonstrated that he is totally mad and living in LaLa land. God help the country with morons like him allegedly in control"
On reflection perhaps I was too kind!

Anonymous said...

Man in a shed.
If only you’d gotten yourself out of the shed that you’ve been inhabiting with the fairies for so many years, someone might have gently broken it to you that the last ‘economic crisis’ (two recessions) were during a Tory administration.
Sad but true.
Still, just banish the unsavoury facts from your mind, chin up and keep on laughing.

Ralph said...

'Watch out for some anti Tory stuff on Newsnight shortly.'

They're too busy being sexist about Sarah Palin.

Anonymous said...

He was embarassing to watch. As you say completely out of his depth.
And this is Gordon Brown's right hand man?
They're in more trouble than I thought (if that's possible).

Anonymous said...

A mini party political broadcast for GB on the 2200 BBC news from Carole Walker: Gordon's going to promise one million new 'Green' jobs. What a joke!
Anon 8.44. Thanks for the evening chuckle with your droll 'Campbell the Terminator' allusion. The revival starts here, eh? Dream on.

Arthur said...

But he still has a Teflon like quality. He is more dangerous than you might think.

michaelmph said...

What a pillock....and I think this is really important...he really has no clue as to how pathetic he looks and sounds....and I think this is really important...he even tried to old Phoney Blair trick of speaking in a 'mockney' accent to show he's a man of the people...and I think this is really important...he really has no inkling of the utter contempt in which he is held by most sane people.

michaelmph

Oscar Miller said...

As I've commented before Ben Brogan is a sponging Brownite stooge. When he's not on freebie trips with the Usless One he's on holiday. He's a slimeball. I have no idea why other people rate him.

Anonymous said...

You used to comment at Ben's a lot at one time Oscar.
What's up. Isn't he saying what you like to hear any more, as in - Cameron's lead is flakey and they are worrying they can't nail it down?
Or Minister gives a passable interview?

Never mind. There's plenty of sycophancy here to make you feel more comfortable, or at that other reliable old favourite, CoffeeHouse.