'Ed Balls is a perfectly decent man (shock horror)' blog discussion

Former_MSE_Helen

This is the discussion to link on the back of Martin's blog. Please read the blog first, as this discussion follows it.

Read Martin's "Ed Balls is a perfectly decent man (shock horror)" Blog.

Please click 'post reply' to discuss below.

Paulgonnabedebtfree

I'm sure most politicians are OK if you get them on their own.
I'm sure most M afia bosses are too.
Same for football hooligans, debt collectors, tax collectors, bankers, door to door energy salespeople etc etc.

I don't doubt that many politicians go into politics with good motives. The problems generally start when they get drunk with power and/or they forget to empathise with people who may have a different world view from their own.
This isn't specifically about Ed Balls but a more general statement.
Unfortunately for Ed, I do remember Jo Brand on one of those TV programs (was it "Have I got News For You"?) saying "You can't have a Prime Minister called "Balls"". Too many tabloid headlines in that one.

The bit I sometimes struggle with regarding politicians is that many of them appear to get a lot more compassionate when they are in opposition.

Anyway, can I please join in the "We want a Prime Minister called 'Balls'. " campaign?

Don't take my post too seriously anyone. It's written lightheartedly and I hope it's taken that way.

Before anyone starts getting too tribal, I'm not really a political animal and I would be quite supportive of any politician of any party if I felt they were genuinely trying to help make a better world.
I do have a couple statements to make though.
1) If work is so brilliant, the rich would keep it all for themselves.
2) If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal.

The thoughts of Chairman Paul .

penrhyn

He is a fine example of the British Public school system.

lucylucky

I feel the blog got off to a poor start "Why do we feel the need to demonise all politicians?"
"We" don't

Paulgonnabedebtfree

penrhyn wrote: »

He is a fine example of the British Public school system.

I'm trying to work out if that's good or bad

Paulgonnabedebtfree

lucylucky wrote: »

I feel the blog got off to a poor start "Why do we feel the need to demonise all politicians?"
"We" don't

Precisely. Take everyone as an individual - regardless of the tribalism.

jasdev

I wasn't aware of any demonising going on, though I only read BBC News, Financial Times and The Economist so I'm not as likely to see such journalism as they aren't very left-leaning or right-leaning.

The FT did say Ed Balls is a thoroughly approachable and conversational man in public, willing to discuss any question. I think that part of the criticism is down to just how strongly held his (or any other senior politician's) beliefs are, and "knowing" that any other way is wrong. It just comes with the territory...

MSE_Martin

lucylucky wrote: »

I feel the blog got off to a poor start "Why do we feel the need to demonise all politicians?"
"We" don't

A fair point, and I've changed the intro slightly to reflect it.

Yet when reading my facebook page on this blog - many have said "politicians they're all the same - all bankers with a w" - so this isn't just a media thing. Yet you're right its not everyone.

llondel

really wanted to get compulsory Financial Education in schools.

That was part of his problem when he was in charge of DCSF, wanting all sorts of compulsory stuff in schools and to have everything monitored and controlled. He was pushing schools towards one extreme of the joke about experts and salesmen, where the expert learns more and more about less and less until he knows everything about nothing, whereas the salesman (or schoolchild) learns less and less about more and ends up knowing nothing about everything.

His grasp of education statistics was suspect (see the whole sorry tale of the Badman Review) and he was trying to push things through quickly, bending all sorts of rules (DCSF were criticised by the CSF Select Committee for not following procedures).

He may be nice if you happen to agree with him, but he spent over a year attempting to push through a course of action that would have adversely affected the lives of thousands of children, and was deaf to any evidence of that, repeating the chosen line ad nauseum. So no, unless you're a Fabian and want state control of everything, he probably shouldn't be on your Christmas card list.

rickbonar

A perfectly decent Flipping man!

How many houses and flats did Mr Balls and his wife manage to Flip and sell at a decent profit can you answer?

kar999

Like most politicians, he's out to feather his own nest. He wants Red Ed's job which his why he NOW agrees with his (Labour and Alistair Darlings) original economic policy timescale for defecit reduction. Only last Autumn he was totally against it and in absolute defecit denial.

He may be a decent chap at a personal level but selfish political hypocrisy washes away that decency IMHO and sadly that applies not just to Ed Balls.