Balls

The outgoing chief of the CBI, Sir Richard Lambert, has had a pop at the Coalition. I doubt the Daleks or the Ogrons looked up from their world domination plans. One person who did comment on it was Ed Balls, the new hope of the Official Opposition. I'm not sure I can raise a proper sentence.

Sir Richard Lambert appears to be upbraiding the Government of some other country, the one where society actually is considered before big business. "Politics appears to have trumped economics" apparently, according to the eminent Sir Richard, presumably knighted for making Britain a better place to live. Reading between the few lines I can keep my eyes open for, it would seem the pace of de-regulation is a major thrust of his complaint. According to Nick Robinson at the Beeb, he 'fears that the government's cap on immigration could stop firms hiring the workers they need. He's worried by ministers plans to scrap the age at which people are forced to retire, ministers' unwillingness to expand London's airports, proposed anti bribery laws and much besides' adding the Lambert quote "It's hard to see anything much has happened" 'on government promises to cut Whitehall regulation'.

Enter Ed Balls. He feels, apparently , that Sir Richard Lambert agrees with the labour line. Well, no, Ed, he doesn't and why oh why are you claiming he does? There are economists galore willing to oppose Coalition policy, why does the Labour party feels the need to rope the CBI into its cohort of supporters? Ah yes, because Balls got us here, helped pave the way for the rampaging Tory invasion of our way of life, the deluded champion of market forces as market forces swept away our place in the world and helped settle the CBI, big BIG business and free market fruitcakes into the corridors of power. Ed Balls probably thought Sir Lambert Richman owed him.

There comes a moment in all the great Dr Who episodes when a trusted aide turns out to have been in the pay of the opposition all along. Hopefully Ed Balls is going to feel the betrayal. If he does, perhaps he'll come clean about his own past and lead the fightback without the baggage of denial. Until he does, let me catch up on sleep, its going to be a rough old year.