Shadow Chancellor Not Up To The Job

[Chil1234]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/8249198/Alan-Johnson-struggles-over-National-Insurance-rates-on-live-television.html Johnson Confusion

You'd think, as the Shadow Chancellor, Alan Johnson would be up to speed on something as basic as employers' NI contributions. His stage persona of 'honest bloke who knows nothing about economics' is wearing very thin already and not reflecting well on Miliband's judgement. Cooper and Balls must be seething.

ooh who's going to replace him?
yvette cooper should have had the job in the first place

Balls is replacing Johnson

so prepare for some hilarious head lines

claig where did you see marriage break up reported?

I was in the camp who never thought AJ was right for the job. Don't care how warm and fuzzy he can be, I expect the person pitching to look after the country's finances to know about finance and economics, in the same way that I wouldn't be happy if I was told that the surgeon operating on me had never been trained in surgical procedures, but was a great bloke, who could really connect with his patients...

Balls will make Osborne scared, which is one point in his favour.

Ed M is proving to be a big disappointment. He's hardly gone for the government big time has he? And I have no idea what Labour are now moving towards. Not bright prospects for them, overall.

I could see Alan Johnson trannying it up at the weekend, wearing an old nylon dress, high heels, a slap of red lippie and a motherly wig attending one of those backstreet tranny clubs.

As you were.

there will be some scandal - much talk of "personal reasons"

Channel 4 reported it at the end of Channel 4 News at about 19.50. Interesting that Sky News are not saying that.

Agree that Johnson was never right for the job. I think he is an actor in the mould of Charlie Chaplin. Ed Balls is formidable and will be real opposition for Osborne. Agree, Labour are a damp squib, and we need some real opposition. They should have made Ed Balls leader, that would have set the cat amongst the pigeons.

All I'm saying is check out Guido Fawkes. Scandal & intrigue.

Mr J might have been a norty man after all.

oh dear

thanks Alouiseg, I forgot about Guido. They always know what's up. But the politically correct should be prepared to be scandalised by Guido.

according to guido fawkes, johnson is having an affair with a civil servant and ed balls leaked it to the papers to get his job

bastard balls

well bastard johnson too

they are all bastards!

damn I'm always 7 minutes behind the times!

sorry folks

crosspost

that's why I vote Tory

Balls in, Johnson out. Fnaar

lol claig - yes, that party of integrity

But who knew old Alan was a go-er eh?

It seems the Damian McBride element lives on. Ed Balls' camp seems to have leaked this - and I bet Alan Johnson won't let him forget it.

Alan Johnson was the wrong choice all along - he was nice but dim. But the circumstances of his knifing might make him a perennial thorn in Red Ed's side.

Not to mention - with Balls as shadow Chancellor, Labour are no doubt going to abandon deficit reduction entirely. They are going to go for the borrow and spend magic money approach.

Are there any Blairites left at all in the Shadow Cabinet ?

whatever the "personal" reason behind AJ going - he was never the right man for the job. Rumour had it whilst he was in the Cabinet that he always made sure he had a great team behind him, and that's what made him look good. I don't think he's ever been fully up to any of these heavyweight jobs, and the Shadow Chancellor portfolio proved to be just too much weight (and he will have far less of a team behind him in Opposition of course).

LadyBlaBlah, absolutely. The party of integrity, rectitude, standards and honour. They truly deserve the moniker Right Honourable Members, unlike some of those other Honeckers.

apparently all of Westminster knew about Johnson, but they didn't tell the proles.

All in The Sun tomorrow, apparently.

'Rumour had it whilst he was in the Cabinet that he always made sure he had a great team behind him, and that's what made him look good.'

I never thought he looked good. I think they'd better sack the team behind him; they weren't up to it either.

Still like and respect Alan Johnson and think he would have made a good leader .It makes sense why he did not run for it if it is true. Balls is not going to give up easily is he ? Probably still got his sights on Eds job.

Yes, I never thought he looked good

He was just a nice guy. And now he's not even that it seems

Great news, Balls will wipe the floor with Gideon just as he used to with Gove.

Yes, Balls is good. He is half sincere, which is far more than the rest of the progressive team.

I like Alan Johnson and I think frontline politics will suffer from his absence. However I don't think Balls is a very good replacement, he was Browns top aide and advisor and helped cause the economic problems that we have at the moment.