Thoughts on Red Ed's relaunch

Excellent analysis, jackstarbright.

Depressing, but excellent.

" tired of hearing 'but what can they do?, it's not as though they want to make these cuts...'"

• The problem for Labour is there's a very strong media narrative in the coalition's favour.

The media narrative goes something like:

1 We trusted the Labour with our economy and they ruined it (quelle surprise!).

1. They borrowed scary amounts of money and gave it to (some combination of): the bankers, MP's expenses, the feckless benefit scroungers, useless quangos, private landlords, or general waste and inefficiency.

1. We voted in the Tories to sort it out - but because we don't fully trust them we made them work with the LibDems.

1. We understand the cuts are necessary (in part because Ed Balls has told us they are not).

1. The cuts will effect us all, not just the poorest.

• cue middle class parents moaning about lost child

1. So it's going to be painful - but we've only ourselves to blame (after all we did trust Labour with our economy).

Labours response so far has been a mixture of deficit denial, blame shifting, finger pointing and seemly jumping on every (middles class) bandwagon going.

Do you agree that he has a complexion like Nice Ham?

I agree@wubbly.

I sometimes think we are a nation of dimwits

That sort of attitude belongs in the guffawing backbenches, claig.

What we need is some proper, adult dialogue and for politicians to at least be honest and upfront about their most basic political / ideological motives. Which none of them are.

No Yule, just depressed!

Sadly, even where there isn't exactly support, I'm still see a lot of ambivalence towards the cuts. Of course, it helps that the tabloids are having a field day supporting the fallacy that the cuts only affect the work shy, lazy, scrounging benefit claimants.

I'm tired of hearing 'but what can they do?, it's not as though they want to make these cuts...'

People seem to genuinely believe that.

But doesn't Ed believe in a socialist Santa Claus who will bail us out with sledge loads of money? Maybe he is not standing up because the public has already stood the socialists down.

Are you crazy?!@wubbly

I found out this week that my local (Tory) council are cutting their youth service by 80% in the next 12 months. 80 per cent! And the plan is to have cut the number of council staff from 4,000 to 400 by 2012.

I think we are going to remember that.

The Tories are using the cuts to do what they have always done: slash the size of the public sector, limit the role of the state.

If you agree with those politics (ie. Conservatism) - fine. But I wish the Tories would be honest about it.

Likewise, it's time Ed stood up for what he believes in.

No one believes the yah boo Labour front bench, with their dapper shiny suits and their fake suntans, as they pontificate from the dispatch box. We all know they would have made very similar cuts and are now just cynically playing to the gallery.

They introduced tuition fees in the first place. They tell us that they have turned over a new leaf, and that so much of what they did in the past was wrong. They tell us that New Labour is finished and they are all progressives now. They underestimate the intelligence of the public. We won't be fooled again.

I can see no reason why the labour party shouldn't win a GE on the basis of 'we don't like these cuts - boo hiss'. Didn't this lot win with a similar lack of detail?

However, I don't think these cuts will stay in the electorates' minds long enough to be an issue come the next GE.

I feel fairly confident that the tory whizz kids will manage to sort out this crisis just in time to give away a nice tax bribe cut.

I'm not sure she works for the Conservative party, but she does know alot about Conservative policy. Either way, it is refreshing and makes a change from so many other posters who self-evidently work for the Monster Raving Loony Party.

"Actually, I take it back- I think she works for the Labour party, and puts forward a Conservative viewpoint so we can argue against it. Hey presto! Instant Labour party policies"

If that all Labour have got - Ed is in big trouble .

Actually, I take it back- I think she works for the Labour party, and puts forward a Conservative viewpoint so we can argue against it. Hey presto! Instant Labour party policies

"One term government and as usual labour will have to repair the social damage done to society"

The problem for Ed is that the last 'repair job' is increasingly looking like a 'band aid' job. And Blair's 'legacy' is looking shaky.

The exception being education - where Gove is (to some extent) building on Blair's ideas.

I don't think she does I think she's just a Conservative Party member

Have often thought the same, Longtalljosie.

LFN, perhaps post on a couple of bf threads or something?

LFN - do you work for the Conservative Party? I'm not saying this to get your back up, but judging by your posts I think that you work for CCHQ and you're on here specifically to spread the word / take the temperature. Am I right?

I don't think anyone can cay whether the cuts will be successful, we nothing to compare it too as there has never been a period of global fiscal tightening like the one that is going to occur over the next few years. Nearly every developed economy is going to have to reduce their spending due to the large deficits that they have.

I'm a Labour supporter.

I'm not convinced by Ed, yet. I am also pretty much left of his politics, but think David M 9despite being the so-called 'centre candidate') is a man capable of far more intellectually rigorous political argument and is more appealing to centre floaters, and thus more electable.

Re: Ed. There is a lack of overall vision and strong mission statement from him thus far.

But...early days. All to play for.

Clegg a disaster, Cameron very shaky. When voters realise just how deep these public sector cuts will reach, there may be a tide turn.

The next election will certainly be very interesting.

In a word as far what effect the cuts will have on the economy: Ireland.

And really hoping I'm wrong.

I think Ed is a disaster for the Labour party.

My own political views are further left than his appear to be; but I am under no illusion that the party needs to be electable, and with him at the helm, it isn't and never will be.

The problem is no-one knows what effect the cuts will have on the economy. If the Government is right and they can get a strong private sector led recovery then Labour are toast and can prepare themselves to be in opposition for a long time. If growth is low or non-existent over the next few years then they will have a very good chance of sweeping back into power.

'watch the ConDems destroy themselves with the cuts, by 2013 the ConDems and the LD's particularly will be finished.'

sounds like you have been taken in by Alan Johnson. He gets most things wrong, and this is no different.

TBH he can sit back for a while and watch the ConDems destroy themselves with the cuts, by 2013 the ConDems and the LD's particularly will be finished.

A lot of Labour supporters voted LD either because they could not stomach Brown and Mandleson or to keep out the Tories in marginals, that wont happen again.

One term government and as usual labour will have to repair the social damage done to society