Ed Balls: Labour cannot reverse public pay freeze

[dipsydoodle]

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls has indicated Labour will support a pay freeze for public sector workers in order to help reduce the deficit.

Mr Balls told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that getting people into jobs must come before higher pay.

But trade union leaders have accused Labour of failing to speak up for "ordinary people".

The government announced in November that public sector pay would rise by only 1% in the two years to 2015.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16558820

[non sociopath skin]

1. I fear that when the media get what they want and Miliband D replaces Miliband E ....

.... we'll be back with three Neocon parties.

Time for the Unions to be considering a new party of the Left.

The Skin

[T_i_B]

2. I don't see brother David being the answer to Labour's woes

I don't rate Ed Miliband for a number of reasons, but I don't see any other senior Labour figures who would be much better.

Maybe what Labour needs to do right now is to stop worrying about personalities (as they don't seem to have any of those) and concentrate on policy instead.

[fedsron2us]

3. Balls and Milleband like so much of the Labour party

are too obsessed with X factor style politics. They think if they can get the right image and sing a passable tune they will get back into power. I have the suspicion the British public are tiring rapidly of that game. They want some genuine policy choices and some conviction from the politicians presenting them.

[non sociopath skin]

4. I wish I could see that, Feds.

Unfortunately, I suspect that a significant proportion of the electorate are also locked into the X-Factor mentality.

The London Mayoral contest is a case in point. What possible reason could cause droves of people to support Johnson other than the fact that he cultivates the TV persona of a lovable, bumbling comedian?

Heaven help us if the forthcoming elections for police chiefs have a similar ambience. Could see a Jeremy Clarkson doing VERY well in certain areas.

The Skin

[T_i_B]

5. Miliband leading Labour to destruction, UNITE chief says

Labour is going back to the worst whispering and backbiting of the Gordon Brown era IMHO.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16588283

Ed Miliband has set Labour on a path towards "destruction" and "certain election defeat", the head of the UK's biggest union has warned the party.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey made the comments after Labour's decision to support the government's pay freeze for public sector workers.

Mr McCluskey, whose union is Labour's biggest donor, told the Guardian it undermined Mr Miliband's leadership.

Mr Miliband said he was wrong and Labour must be trusted on the economy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/16/ed-miliband-leadership-threatened-blairite-coup