by Atul Hatwal
Readers pick from Balls, Burnham, Cooper, Creagh and Jowell for June’s title
After another month of shambolic Tory U-turns but without any perceptible Labour progress, both sides find themselves pretty much where they left off in May.
Although little has fundamentally changed in the electoral race, amidst the melee, there were some pointed moments from Labour. The five contenders for the goal of the month are, in alphabetical order, Ed Balls, Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper, Mary Creagh and Tessa Jowell.
1. Balls doubles down on his plan for the deficit
The main Labour story in June was about Ed Miliband’s leadership. It sucked up so much media oxygen that a fundamental shift in Labour’s approach on the economy was largely over-shadowed.
On the 16th June, Ed Balls gave a speech at the LSE where he committed Labour to a multi-billion pound tax cut by temporarily reversing the VAT rise.
It’s a bold move. And the logic is clear. Poor economic figures and anaemic growth are pointing the way potentially to a Greek tragedy.
But it is a gamble.
The polls show persistent public mistrust of Labour on the finances. Many of Balls’ colleagues in the shadow cabinet are deeply uneasy or opposed. And the Tories now have a new £51bn spending black-hole attack-line on Labour.
If the cuts aren’t terminal and the UK economy does recover, even slowly, then the cost of the gamble in terms of public confidence in Labour’s economic competence will be high.
If the economy does sink into years of coma and the government is driven to take measures to jump-start growth, Balls will assume St.Vincent of Twickenham’s title as politics’ economic sage.
What is not in doubt is that this is defining moment for Labour.
2. Andy Burnham teaches the Dept forEducation to count
Each month brings another gaffe from the Department for Education. In June it was slipshod accounting with serial over-payments to Academies.
Burnham’s delivery combines his usual eloquence and authenticity. But it is the substance of his point that is most striking.
Without proper accounting, the whole cuts programme is purely an academic exercise. Plans will remain just that, completely disconnected from reality. It’s a systemic flaw in the way the department for Education operates which will generate several more urgent questions in the future.
Although Burnham is palpably frustrated with the department’s incompetence and Gove’s insouciance in not even bothering to attend proceedings, he is laying important groundwork.
Each time an urgent question lands, a little more credibility ebbs away from the Department. In the end, a tipping point will be reached and the state of constant political meltdown which engulfed the Home Office in the last Labour government will come to Education.
It’s just a matter of time. (more…)
