Balls up

Joshua

"David Laws was Vice President of JP Morgan from 1987-92 and then Managing Director, Head of US Dollar and Sterling Treasuries, at Barclays de Zoete Wedd, before going to the LibDems."

So what? He's exactly the type of person who has driven the world economy to the very edge of disaster in recent years.

fulcanelli

Joshua - 'So what? He's exactly the type of person who has driven the world economy to the very edge of disaster in recent years.'

And, of course, Labour have been doing a bang up job with the economy themselves. Get real!!

Carrie

It does beg the question though, what the hell is Laws doing in the Liberal Democrat party?? Sounds like he should be a Tory to me.

David Boothroyd

Sure, it must be very annoying for David Laws to be lectured by Ed Balls on confidence in contractual negotiations. It must be all the more annoying when Balls, who has not been a senior banker, is right and Laws, who has, is wrong.

(PS David Laws looks very like the young Christopher Chataway)

Chris M

For heaven's sake read what Stephen wrote. He is attacking Balls' temerity in trying to lecture someone with a great deal of experience and knowledge in matters in which Balls'himself lacks experience.

Laws' guilt for the state of Western economic downturns is hardly germane here - if indeed anywhere.

From your statement your criteria for appointing business or commercial leaders would be ...a lack of experience (and hence 'blame'..)?

Chuck Unsworth

'Commercial Confidentiality' my arse. What about 'Parliamentary Privilege'?

Balls' performance was absolutely harrowingly, gut-wrenchingly loathsome. He repeatedly refused to accept any responsibility by quoting 'his advice'. What advice was that, exactly? To brazen it out, perhaps?

This is a Minister who has no responsibility, no power and no control - even over his bowels. When Balls sits down his voice goes all muffled.

So what, Minister? Where does the buck stop? If not with you, then who will you be firing tomorrow morning? Which of your toadies will have lost his or her sinecure?

Education, Education, Education. Yet another NuLab traincrash. This is a government of all the incompetents.

Tiberius

This is an example of why I chose "juvenile" as the best word to describe New Labour on Coffee House.

Balls comes over as the teenager who has got his hands on the reigns of power in the family business, and is insufferably arrogant about how he knows it all and will sweep away the previously successful forces of conservatism in the name of the third way, oblivious to and dismissive of the inevitable law of unintended consequences.

I don't care how intelligent these people are supposed to be, they're a danger to the country every minute they're in power.

John

Utter nonsense, Boothroyd. Look up 'ministerial responsibility' - something neither you nor the sickening turd Balls understand - when you have a moment.

John

Tiberius, they are manifestly not intelligent at all. Looking at ZanuLab's disasters all around you should suffice to demonstrate that. Greedy, lying, thieving, incompetent - yes; intelligent - no.