Ed Balls bust up with the BBC…
I am not sure whether Ed Balls got out of bed the wrong side yesterday morning, was just a bit “interviewed out”, or whether he was…as it sounded…revealing his true colours – a bully who knows the cause is lost and hopes that by throwing his weight about on BBC radio, he can somehow influence media reporting.
I caught the most bizarre interview about the PBR late yesterday afternoon. And as interesting as any analysis of the PBR might be…I think this one interview says more about the Labour party and its ministers than any learned tome on the substance of the chancellors plans ever could…
You see what I heard was a Government minister come as close as I have heard in a very long time to threatening , albeit obliquely, the BBC.
And…. full marks to Peter Allen (BBC Radio Five Live Drive) for standing up to him. There will always be a difficulty for any modern state broadcaster (even in a so-called free society) in “taking on” the ruling powers. And, noting my many previous criticisms of the BBC, I have to say the BBC did that and did it well –
despite immense provocation… including several pronouncements from Ed Balls (to a BBC journalist) as to how he (the state broadcaster) and his employers should behave.
Unsurprisingly…. Peter Allen won outright. No question. Bullying may work elsewhere – and may have worked in the past – but frankly…..Alistair Campbell he aint. And if there really is anyone in control of the Labour Party (ha!) …they will take Bully Boy Balls to one side and tell him just how monumentally he f*cked up yesterday.
Editors notes. The full interview was approx 2 minutes longer than shown here. I have edited out the ministers statements about how wonderful the Labour party has been over the last decade and in particular how it has saved the country over the last 18 months. I think you have heard it all before … but if you want to hear the whole interview (including all of Ed Balls contributions) then please go to BBC iplayer here where you can listen to all of the interview for yourself…it was broadcast approx 18.08 (i.e. 2hrs 8mins into broadcast).
December 10th, 2009 at 10:58 am
Isn’t it funny how Labour politicians were complaining when the Sun were “Bullying” Gordon Brown but when we get an insight in to the internal Kabal around him you can see they just don’t like being played at their own game. McBride, Balls, Draper and Brown him self.
December 11th, 2009 at 3:08 am
Balls really is a slimeball. Sometimes I wonder if politicians like him have any sense of decency at all. There’s playing the political ‘game’ then there is just being transparently patronising a dick. A disease that seems to catching amongst senior Labour circles.
December 11th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Talking about the BBC did the answer to the question you got to ask Aunty Shirl on Simon Mayo’s show satisfy you Angie?
Personally I thought her answer was a bit patronising
I emailed a similar question in when Nick Clegg was on the same radio show about 18 months ago.
December 11th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Ziggy could you explain or link to the question as some of us aren’t as knowledgeable as you?
December 11th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Shirley Williams was on BBC Radio Five this afternoon & Agela emailed her a question
December 24th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Considering we home educators have been targets of Ed. Balls bullying, I can sympathise with the BBC and Mr. Allen. The DCSF, headed by Mr. Balls, is disgusting and the sooner we have a change of politicians in power the better.
The trouble with politicians like Mr. Balls is that they have no honour or empathy for ordinary people.
December 25th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/oct/19/ed-balls-maggie-atkinson-appointment
In the above article there is an example of Ed Balls bullying tactics–completely ignoring the recommendations of the Childrens Select Committee about the appointment of Maggie Atkinson to the role of Childrens Commissioner.
Ed Balls has, as D. states, been targeting home educators all year. We are waiting to see if he is once again going to ignore the Select Committees recommendations.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/dec/16/home-education-ed-balls