Unstable Chemistry?

Nice exchange between Andrew Marr and Ed Balls this morning:

ANDREW MARR:
Some people are worried that there is going to be a kind of mimicry of the tensions between Gordon Brown and Tony Blair in the old days; that there is something in the chemistry between the two of you that is not entirely stable?

ED BALLS:
Who’s worried about that?

ANDREW MARR:
Well I … You know I think …

ED BALLS:
Are you worried about that? You know Ed and I very well.

ANDREW MARR:
I have no views of any kind, but I’m …

ED BALLS:
(over) Come on.

ANDREW MARR:
… but I’m interested in the fact that Labour MPs and commentators and so on are tal… you know they’re talking about it.

ED BALLS:
As I said last Thursday when we were at our press conference, two Eds are better than one. That’s the truth. We are working as a really close team. We’ve seen the Blair-Brown years and we’re not going to repeat that. We share a similar view of what needs to be done. He’s the leader. I’m backing him 100 per cent.

ANDREW MARR:
Okay.

ED BALLS:
And let me say, Andrew, this idea that good politics is somehow butch or macho, the Cameron view, what a load of nonsense. People don’t get where they get to by shouting loudly or throwing their weight around. It’s all in the end about judgement, making the right calls. I think I made the right call on the economy, Ed Miliband made the right call on News International. Together – it’s not about macho bullying or treating women badly, we’ll leave that to David Cameron.

The right call on the economy versus telling News International journalists they should be in jail. No contest.

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• Junius

  ‘I think I made the right call on the economy…’

  Both Eds served as chairmen of HM Treasury’s Council of Economic Advisers, with specific responsibility for directing the UK’s long-term economic planning. That long-term economic planning proved so effective that Labour were subsequently turfed out of office, the departing chief secretary to the treasury leaving a note to the effect that there was no money left – although he still managed to trouser a severance payment of a tad under 20 grand.

  ‘…Ed Miliband made the right call on News International.’

  In June 2011, both Eds dutifully turned up at News International’s summer garden party to pay homage to Murdoch and his minions. In July, Ed M published a list of meetings he had held with senior media executives and editors, since becoming Labour leader. Eleven of his 32 meetings were with News International. I doubt whether telling executives and journos they should be in jail figured high on the agendas.

  Ed Balls is either living in cloud-cuckoo land or suffering from selective memory loss.

• postageincluded

  Don’t see much chance of Rentoul taking your advice.

• creggancowboy

  Poor John reminds me of O’Brien in “1984″.

• stonedwolf

  Both need playing.

  It does’t matter if you disagree with them (Melanie Phillips, Rentoul, Johan Hari) or agree with them (Robert Fisk, Noam Chomsky, George Monbiot) their pieces are reflective as much of their personalities and opinions as they are the facts and circumstances.

• creggancowboy

  Hari discredited, MacIntyre banned, Mr Rentoul picks up 2 cheques, one for teaching “contempory” history (coughs loudly) the other for a hagiography of Blair and ZaNuLabour (which in essence is all he does here) under Lebedev pere et fils baleful eye. Much sniping of John in terms of his personal life (none of our business) or capability (well he is not on JSA so well done Giovanni). If you want “style” not substance try Dent, Jones, Laurie.

• stonedwolf

  To be clear I wasn’t attacking his actual personal life. I don’t know of his personal life and care even less.

  I was using the weirdo-at-a-party as a metaphor for his professional work.

• creggancowboy

  Then, learned counsel, I concur fully.