Balls up.

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colonel c

Original Poster:

7,890 posts

240 months

Friday 15th June 2012
quotequote all
Well not quite Mr Balls up but not good reading for Mr Osborne.


The Press Association said:
Labour's Ed Balls has overtaken Chancellor George Osborne as the voters' choice as best person to run the economy, according to a new poll.

Mr Osborne's rating as "most capable chancellor" slumped in the Ipsos Mori survey to 29%, from 36% before his much-criticised Budget in March.

Meanwhile, the monthly political monitor showed confidence in Mr Balls rising two points to 37% over the same period.

It is the first time the shadow chancellor has outpolled Mr Osborne in a survey for the company since the general election, and will be taken by Labour's high command as a sign that the party is winning back its reputation for economic credibility.

Almost half (47%) of those questioned said they did not like Mr Osborne, compared to around a third (36%) who did like him.

More than half (54%) said they did not like the Chancellor's policies, while three in 10 (29%) said they did like his policies.

Half (50%) said they thought the British economy would get worse in the next 12 months compared to 18% who thought it would improve.

But Ipsos Mori's head of political research, Gideon Skinner, said that the falling confidence in Mr Osborne did not necessarily translate into an increase in support for Mr Balls.

Mr Skinner said: "As economic pessimism is on the up, George Osborne's reputation is suffering. But the biggest rise is among those who think neither of the main parties has the answer."

The poll gave Labour a nine-point lead over the Conservatives, with 40% of those questioned saying they would vote for Ed Miliband's party in a general election (down three points since May), against 31% (down two) for Tories and 10% (up one) for Liberal Democrats
Edited by colonel c on Friday 15th June 12:31

Blue62

8,921 posts

153 months

Friday 15th June 2012
quotequote all
Judging by yesterday's announcement on bank lending, the Government is losing the argument, I just hope that this is the right strategy, I'm not sure if I wouldn't have rather seen a more direct stimulus like tax cuts, if they are going to change tack. I am bi-partizan but would not read too much into Balls improved rating TBH.

AndrewW-G

11,968 posts

218 months

Friday 15th June 2012
quotequote all
Easy win for Cameron, is to swap George out for somebody a little more palatable to the electorate . . . . .it's not going to happen, given current form I think Cameron doesn’t want to win the next election.

Einion Yrth

19,575 posts

245 months

Friday 15th June 2012
quotequote all
AndrewW-G said:
Easy win for Cameron, is to swap George out for somebody a little more palatable to the electorate
Like Ghenghis Khan or Pol Pot.

HundredthIdiot

4,414 posts

285 months

Friday 15th June 2012
quotequote all
The only poll that counts is the general election.

The idea that a politician has any real ability to improve an economy in the short term is nonsense.

The best we can hope for is that they avoid fking things up sufficiently so that people have something else to moan about.

Riff Raff

5,134 posts

196 months

Friday 15th June 2012
quotequote all
Did anyone hear Balls on the Today Programme this morning? He got a bit of a kicking from Evan Davis I thought. Didn't come across at all well.

Ozzie Osmond

21,189 posts

247 months

Friday 15th June 2012
quotequote all
Blue62 said:
I would rather see a more direct stimulus like tax cuts, if they are going to change tack.
It does make you wonder. Except, of course, we now have a rich tradition of "giving money to banks" and it would be such a shame to change direction. Maybe HM gov't is hoping the banks will see the money invested into something worthwhile rather then just spent on booze and fags. Judging by their track record that's some hope!!

unrepentant

21,284 posts

257 months

Friday 15th June 2012
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I would think that both Allen Stanford and Bernie Madoff would rank as more suitable to run the economy than either bks or Osberk.

CambsBill

1,937 posts

179 months

Saturday 16th June 2012
quotequote all
Riff Raff said:
Did anyone hear Balls on the Today Programme this morning? He got a bit of a kicking from Evan Davis I thought. Didn't come across at all well.
Yes, quite a novelty for a R4 presenter to actually challenge a Liebour politician wasn't it.

I particularly liked the bit where Balls was asked what impact he had worked out a VAT would actually have on the economy . . . and he couldn't answer! Waffled something about not wanting to work out an answer on the spot, but hasn't he been arguing for such a cut for months now?

darreni

3,808 posts

271 months

Saturday 16th June 2012
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Balls would struggle to run a bath, let alone the economy.

davepoth

29,395 posts

200 months

Saturday 16th June 2012
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Is it really any surprise that people find a man who says he'll give people stuff more popular than a man who is taking things away?

Problem is of course that in very short order Balls would run out of things to give people. I wonder what the situation would be then.

DSM2

3,624 posts

201 months

Saturday 16th June 2012
quotequote all
colonel c said:
Well not quite Mr Balls up but not good reading for Mr Osborne.


The Press Association said:
It is the first time the shadow chancellor has outpolled Mr Osborne in a survey for the company since the general election, and will be taken by Labour's high command as a sign that the party is winning back its reputation for economic credibility.
Edited by colonel c on Friday 15th June 12:31
Since when did labour have any sort of reputation for economic credibility? One of the funniest things I've heard for a long time.

Who the fk do they ask in these surveys?

ringram

14,700 posts

249 months

Saturday 16th June 2012
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The coalition isnt contrasting very well against labour.
Id suggest that both parties are pretty incompetent.

Where is the infrastructure investment?

Who cares about encouraging retards to borrow more money in a recession! Thats the most stupid plan ever.
Well aside from QE which achieves nothing that is..

HundredthIdiot

4,414 posts

285 months

Saturday 16th June 2012
quotequote all
DSM2 said:
Since when did labour have any sort of reputation for economic credibility?
Around 1998.

Riff Raff

5,134 posts

196 months

Saturday 16th June 2012
quotequote all
ringram said:
Where is the infrastructure investment?

Who cares about encouraging retards to borrow more money in a recession! Thats the most stupid plan ever.
Well aside from QE which achieves nothing that is..
Well Keynes thought it was a good idea. Is Keynsianism now completely discredited?

HundredthIdiot

4,414 posts

285 months

Saturday 16th June 2012
quotequote all
Riff Raff said:
Well Keynes thought it was a good idea. Is Keynsianism now completely discredited?
Counter-cyclical state spending is not discredited. Remember Brown's golden rule? Oh, the irony.

ringram

14,700 posts

249 months

Saturday 16th June 2012
quotequote all
Riff Raff said:
Well Keynes thought it was a good idea. Is Keynsianism now completely discredited?
Im agreeing that infrastructure investment is good. I doubt QE existed then considering everyone was still on the gold standard at the time.