The Balls dilemma

Victor Southern

He is not Gove's nemesis - he is his stalker. Gove was the nemesis of Balls as his reputation suffered severely from Gove's attacks on him from Opposition.

When this Laboured leadership campaign finally comes to a whimpering end I am sure that Balls will no longer be Shadow on Education.

Cuffleyburgers

The Balls dilemma - can generally be summed up by "should I slap his smug chops and then kick him in the eponymous? or kick him first then slap??" - ah, the agony of choice!

TrevorsDen

Cuffley - the dilemma is resolved by spitting in his eye.

immcintyre

Unfortunately, he bears all the character traits of Brown, which make him project nastiness, arrogance and conceit. The electorate hated Brown and they hate Balls, too!

Ronnie

He's a loudmouth with too many enemies to become anything more. Bitterness lies at the end of his tunnel.

Graham Walker

Balls is second rate loser & nasty with it...very much like Broon. He will quietly disappear off the main scene once Milliband is made leader. The brutish style of Balls is a thing of the past...thank goodness!

J H Holloway

Will the new Labour leader have the common sense to stick this nasty piece of work (I always think of him as the unacceptable face of public schooling) on the back benches?

charles hercock

Peter is right.Balls is a very effective opposition tool about whom we need to be wary.He certainly made Gove look inept.They need to get him onto Lansleys Lies perhaps

The Bellman

The Balls dilemma. You have a Labour leadership contest but only 4 bullets. Who do you shoot? Balls, four times.

I recognise that this is the sort of cheap comment that I would be criticising if a pinko had said it of Maggie. But it's Friday afternoon, I've had a few cups of coffee and I'm feeling cheap.

Verityred

There is a healthy club of people within Labour who loathe the toad that is Ed Balls.

Why waste time on the slug, must be a quiet day and the Speccie staff have finished beating Blackburn for his rubbish posts.

Paddy

Agree with Graham Walker.

The Laughing Cavalier

He was a lousy Education minister and helped the Scotch loon destroy the economy. Neither of the Milliboys will be under any obligation to make this incompetent troublemaker Shadow Chancellor. Assuming he garners enough votes to get himself elected to the shadow cabinet in the first place, shadow minister for paper clips would be a suitable position for him.

TGF UKIP

What I suspect you are saying, Pete, in a round about way, is that the Tories are going to experience from Labour and from Balls in particular, opposition of a level and an intensity that Labour never experienced from your editor's beloved Cam and his equally effete gang.

alexsandr

Said it before and will say it again
Balls is in a marginal seat. If he holds any position in the labour party the tories will target his seat to do a decapitation.
Day cant come soon enough......

Liberty

Whoever wins the Labour leadership should remember the last time a leader allowed an arrogant, demented, ruthless, repulsive bully as chancellor and I am not talking about Hindenberg.

pete-s

Less popular than Dianne Abbott; that is pretty low on the turdometer.

Dimoto

Balls will end up as a (highly paid) union general secretary / fixer /plotter.
Like Whelan, it is the only real "career avenue" open to him.

lescam

Miliband (D or E) should make Balls Shadow Minister for "Sky Diving in Afghanistan".

BillMarden

Tories are afraid of Ed Balls and revert to characteristic personal attacks, because...?

I thought you know for a fact that the coalition has now fiddled it's way into a full 5 year term, and no one from the opposition is going to challenge and tip it over on it's weak foundations?

I thought you know for a fact Ed Balls has not only lost the leadership contest before it has started, but is far inferior to any idiot journalist from The Times who cant add up?

Is the recent collapse of the Belgium coalition government causing a little anxiety, maybe?

Tarka the Rotter

sorry Bill, but shouldn't that be 'Thought you knew for a fact..?'

Occasional Ostrich

alexsandr, I was under the impression that the Tories targetted Balls' seat two months ago, in an attempt at decapitation. Didn't work, did it? in a future election I would seriously expect that, in the absence of AV and a redrawing of boundaries, his would be a seat that defied the trend.

Redrawing the boundaries? Thus forcing all candidates to submit themselves for reselection? Now THAT might be a way to go!!!

Frank P

Why are we still discussing the losers? It's the so-called winners that we need to be keeping an eye on. They are charged with tilling the scorched earth left by the previous vandals - and so far they seem to be interested more in foreign climes. Understandable perhaps, given the barren landscape here, but they volunteered, so - lets be 'having ya guys! You haven't earned a holiday this year, yet.

Enough of alien ass-kissing Davey boy; somebody needs to plough, fertilise and re-sow here. The geopolitical gravy train comes later, when the local landscape is vibrant with green shoots. Fuck the previous tenants, they are undischarged bankrupts; you are the Official Receiver; we are the creditors who are seeking redress. Where are the spoils from their bust-out stashed? Have you called in the Serious Fraud office yet? Or have they been disbanded? Along with the Public Corruption Squad from the Yard? Makes me laugh. They left a signed confession - "There is no money left!" That's a cough if ever I heard one. Four sacrificial lambs have been stuck up for filching a few bob from the 'exes' tea fund, while the country's top fraudsman ever, the guy that ripped off the entire national exchequer for thirteen years has been allowed to retire to Scotland with his wodge, then has the audacity to piss of to Africa to set up another series of raids on the Public Purse under the guise of another 'saving the world' scam.

FMOBB!

Moraymint

"Ed Balls finished in a resounding last place. Yep, the former Schools Secretary is stuck on 11 percent of first preference votes"

The man is an absolutely detestable tosser; are we surprised by this?

revolution

British people have seen what a balls up him and Brown have made of the country and with his radio face not a chance of becoming leader?

outtolunch

when i hear his interviews its just like listening to David Brent in The Office

Roger Davies

Surely 11% means he has passed muster with an "A" Grade? There are no losers in the Labour Party all are winners, even Gordon will come out of his 13 wasted years smelling of roses,

Ken

What Frank P said and in spades.

In addition why does anyone think the current crop of Liebour infants brawling in the playground around a bent banana are in anyway suitable to be leaders of anything.

Standards have clearly fallen off a cliff.

DeeJay

I must admit, I am surprised he garnered less of a following than Diane Abbott, but this is the Labour Party and all political activists are, by definition, 'nuts' whatever party they support. Perhaps it's the wild eyes; that sweaty, slightly scary countenance or perhaps, that defensive, truculent attitude he adopts whenever he is asked to explain his views. Or perhaps its because he seems to take himself too seriously and appears to be without humour...
Or simply, that once he decided to admit it, few could really believe that he was a Norwich City supporter..

Ann Wright

Surely, the reason Ed Balls is sinking fast in the leadership polls is that he's too reminiscent of Gordon Brown. Gordon who?

David Booth

Next career choice for Balls E. ?
Large glass of whisky and a loaded pistol.