Iain Dale’s ten predictions for 2009 are well worth a read. One, in particular, jumped out at me: namely, Iain’s suggestion that “Ed Balls will be Chancellor by the end of the year”. Now, I think that’s an unlikely scenario; especially given that a change of Chancellor (or Shadow Chancellor) is often taken as an admission that a party hasn’t got its economic message right. But, to be fair, stranger things have happened recently, and there’s always the chance that Brown will try to make Darling a scapegoat as the real economy nosedives even further.
Many of the Tories I’ve spoken with recently would be delighted with a Chancellor Balls. For one, they think Balls’ ascension would provoke a fair amount of disgruntlement among Labour ranks. Brown’s last reshuffle had something to keep almost every faction of the party happy. By contrast, moving Balls to the Treasury – and, in effect, designating him the heir apparent – would be regarded as unashamedly, and unfairly, tribal.
But the main reason Tories would welcome a Chancellor Balls is thanks to his outburst during Cameron’s response to this year’s Budget. Of course, the Education Minister claims he said “So weak!” rather than “So what?!” but it’s the latter of these exclamations that’s stuck, and – with Balls as Chancellor – it would be the the perfect riposte to Brown’s “Do nothing” claims. After my post on political advertising yesterday, I can imagine posters carrying a “So-What-Chancellor” line of attack being far more effective than ones attacking Alistair Darling, who – in relative terms, at least – seems fairly well-liked.
Seeing how now’s the time for looking back on 2008 – as well as looking forward to 2009 – here, courtesy of Guido, is footage of Balls’s “So what?!” moment from 12 March:
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