Why Ed Balls is an idiot
Labour’s shadow Chancellor quoted in today’s Observer:
This won’t take very long at all.
An independent Scotland would not be eligible to join the Euro. It doesn’t meet the EU’s five “convergence criteria”, most particularly the fifth and final one:
“Exchange-rate stability, through participation in the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM II) for at least two years without strong deviations from the ERM II central rate.”
You can’t join ERM2 if you don’t already have your own currency. The only way for Scotland to meet the convergence criteria would be to have its own brand-new currency, sign up to ERM2, and prove that the new currency was stable.
And of course, if it had done that, it would by definition have its own stable currency already and therefore no NEED to join the Euro.
Ed Balls wants to be the Chancellor of the Exchequer, yet evidently doesn’t have even the most basic grasp of the workings of the European Union. It seems safest to discount anything else he might say on the subject of currency as the witterings of an incompetent buffoon who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
I couldn’t care less what our currency is, to be honest. I already bank in USD, EUR and GBP – my Citibank UK account makes that a dream (multiple sub-accounts in different currencies, one debit card that can be set to one of the three currencies).
This is just a huge distraction from the real question: “Do you want Scotland to be governed by Scotland or the UK”. That is all. All the other side debates are meaningless until we’re independent. Which WILL happen.
Anybody living with the surname ‘Balls’ without changing it to something less risible is indeed an idiot.
I am amazed by the ceaseless parade of ill informed, incapable MPs. Now I know the pay is a pittance compared to their private market value (don’t ask me) but how/why could so many stupid people converge in the name of any country?
Headline should read: Why Ed Balls Talks Baws
Guys a plonker; ‘nough said
But we all know he is a 24 Ct Gold Plonker Rodney !
This list of idiots in Westminster is increasing daily…
Amazingly since this referendum was called!
Anyone informed in the debate knows that it’s nonsense. Yet the papers peddle this crap in the hope of continuing to frighten those not fully engaged. The media are the ones with most to answer once the dust settles. Any self respecting journalist would have refused to put there name to such a big pile of crap.
Of course, Ed Balls isn’t an idiot. But like Scottish Labour, he thinks he can carry on treating the Scottish electorate as if we were idiots.
If a plan b were to be ascertained, I’m sure it would be the Scottish pound. I was delighted to see a trader in Hong Kong this week offering 11.5 HK Dollars to the Scottish pound and only 11.3 to the BoE pound. Fair gave me a giggle over my coffee, especially when my wife pointed out the Record had covered the story.
Ballsderdash
Fuckwits like him get involved in politics because they’re unemployable elsewhere !
[…] « Why Ed Balls is an idiot […]
I thought this baseless yarn had been put to bed long ago. Either Ed Balls wasn’t paying attention, or he’s trying to deceive voters who are similarly ill-informed.
Inveterate liars. they can’t help it.
What’s the gold price today? Wait until it falls a bit more, then we can sell the reserves.
Oh, Lordy.
In words of a single syllable:
It’s the pound, it’s the pound it’s the pound……….
And Lord Darling (designate) and Load of Balls can’t do a thing about it.
The ordinary voter isn’t listening to this rubbish any longer. Salmond simply needs to keep it simple tomorrow night.
Sounds like he is well qualified to be a Labour Chancellor at Westminster. Clearly he’s in the same league as previous ones, Messrs Darling and Brown.
Mr. Bollox knows exactly what he is doing. Poisoning the debate with yet another scare story. Do go away you horrible little man.
I haven’t read the rest of the Observer article, but surely this is a concession by Balls that an independent Scotland would be in the EU?
(I do know it is possible to use the euro outwith the EU, but that would be an even more bizarre suggestion on his part.)
Another towering intellect, no not really. Balls it up, again.
He gives us a competitive advantage… leave the boy alone, he’s doing just fine as he is 🙂
Balls is no idiot, just following the script on sowing seeds of fear.
If Euro is so bad why is GBP still weaker against EUR than at EUR inception ?
Oh! I think Ed balls knew exactly what he was doing, he was scaremongering.
Why would anyone in the south elect put in charge of the economy someone who seems not to know these simple facts that the Scottish Electorate have learned over the last few years? We are not stupid,and can use computers/can read.
I am sorry but I know many incompetent buffoons who will be upset by the comparison – please find a new way of describing Mr Balls.
Sorry to go of topic so soon but the Sunday post is on about pensions again they say that72 per cent of pensioners fear for pensions if the u.k.is split I wonder how long it took them to ask 72per cent of all the pensioners in Scotland that you see they do not tell you how many they asked that is their ploy they maybe only asked 50 or a100 at most but they try to imply this is the opinion of all the pensioners in Scotland ,they also claim that just 12 per cnt trust a.s. On pensions while 24 per cnt trust darling i mean who the hell do ask these questions of ? They really must think we are stupid enough to keep on believing the same old con., trick polls and lies. Vote yes
Or he’s hoping we’re idiots.
Either way he’s beating his head off a wall. I suspect its more likely he’s playing to the crowds though. He’s letting the faithful hear exactly what they want to hear in London. In event of a no win the UK public won’t lift a finger against a Westminster agenda dead set on punishing the uppity Scots.
That the Guardian/Observer slavishly prints and promotes these lies without challenge says it all really. They have their own financial experts who are just as aware of the mechanics as we are, yet not a whisper from them, not a peep, not one hand raised to question. From left wing social conscience to establishment propaganda rag in the space of a campaign.
Who knew?
I remember Balls and Miliband coming up to Scotland prior to the last Holyrood election and crowing how Scots would vote Labour to give the tories a bloody nose.
Balls exposed (ohh steady Mrs) wonder if that’ll stop flipper quoting him on the debate tomorrow night ?
Guardian: The paper that transformed along with New Labour to an establishment supporting propaganda machine.
Balls still can’t top this from Crash though. Watch it again, its actually demonic in its intent to deceive Scotland.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Nice one to the person who did this…
link to i1277.photobucket.com
Cheered up my walk back home 🙂
He hopes to be the third in a line of recent Labour Chancellors, all apparently ignorant about almost anything you could name. Or is it all devious lies with them all? For their peace of mind I hope it’s just stupidity.
I’m 65,but fortunately for me have the ability to read and avail myself of what is required to ascertain any information i might require, many people my age and older don’t have the inclination, or even a computor, or the ability to do these things, and the MSM and UKGOV know it and that’s why there is now outright barefaced lying of the first order.
I fear now the real dirty entrenched attrition to come from these ‘I hate to call them people’
Today’s vile scare stories on front page, so called ‘newspapers’ aimed at the most vulnerable in our society are the acts of the most evil type and can only hope the First Minister and his team can find public ways to combat them.
@Dan Huil
I remember Balls and Miliband coming up to Scotland prior to the last Holyrood election and crowing how Scots would vote Labour
They must be panicking right about now… YES or NO… Labour is severely damaged in Scotland. Perhaps not a write off… Maybe they will get back on the road as a ‘ringer’*
“Something nobody wants to own or drive.
Jim Watson
Thanks, mate. I needed a good laugh to cheer me up and you supplied it admirably!
@ Dr Jim. Exactly right. I hope AS takes the opportunity tomorrow night to expose the lies about pensions in an independent Scotland.
@ wingman 2020. Labour doesn’t have the brains to realise independence is the best chance for them to re-establish themselves as a credible party in Scotland.
luckily for us, ed balls being an idiot will very shortly not be scotlands concern.
Speaking in May 2013, nine years after the Czech Republic joined the E.U., European Council president Herman Van Rompuy stated:
“The prime minister added in his statement that it is even an obligation to join the euro, so that is nothing new. But you have to meet all the criteria. At this stage the Czech Republic is not meeting all the criteria, so the problem is not a problem today.
But even if you meet the criteria, then of course the Czech Republic has to make its own decision in its own constitutional order. So I will not interfere in this internal debate; it’s up to the Czech Republic to make up its mind.“
From Private Eye 14 Feb 2011
NEW shadow chancellor Ed Balls wasted no time painting his Tory opponents as the bankers’ friends.
On the absence of any deal obliging banks to lend more to small business, Balls claimed it was “typical of a Conservative party which has not been on the case with the banks since it took office and opposed tougher regulation throughout the last decade before the global financial crisis hit”.
Could this be the same Ed Balls whose speeches to the bankers before the crash could only be listened to with sickbag to hand? To the City of London Corporation in October 2006, he boasted of “our light-touch and risk-based regulatory approach combined with the great pool of talent gathered from across the planet that underpins London’s success as a modern international financial centre”.
In the same month he also abased himself before the British Bankers’ Association, admitting that “my starting point, as a Treasury minister. is this: what more can I do can we do together -to support and enhance the critical role that the banking industry plays in our economy?”
The toadying continued: “It is your success and the strength of our economy that enables you to fulfil your wider social responsibilities.”
In his first speech as a Treasury minister a few months earlier, Balls had stressed: “It is important that the financial Services Authority continues to deliver a Iight-touch and risk-based regulatory approach. It was he claimed, “a huge competitive advantage” -betraying his view of the role of regulation.
It was such a huge advantage, in fact, that in the words of the National Audit Office in the wake of Northern Rock, it amounted to a “systemic failure of duty”
I disagree. He’s smart. He knows the prospect of the € as Scotland’s currency will scare off a few voters.
He’s a liar of course.
Keep in mind conmen like Brown, Darling and Balls, No vote means Scotland continues paying it’s surplus to Westminster TeamGB but UK.gov keeps cutting Barnet handout, austerity bites harder, Lamont, Davidson, Rennie, BBC etc demand SNP Scots.gov raise Scottish taxes with it’s new new powers they were “given” to make up the Barnett cuts. Same SNP Scots.gov can’t hike taxes but get relentlessly savaged by BBC/all media.
Life is tough, you voted for it, suck it up Scotland, as Lady Lamont takes the oath as Scotland region first minister. Scotland’s decline in this farce union accelerates. Job done.
@Dr Jim 3:58pm
I hear your fears and that is why it is important we all get round to those we know in the target categories for these fear stories, I urge everyone to speak to any pensioners they know and try and put across the other side of the story. This is really important and if you are a trsuted or valued friend then that may be the deciding factor for those less informed or more prone to believing the scare stories.
O/T spoke to someone I have just met re the referendum, they told me they are registered homeless and the council stated they could not vote (PErth & Kinross). THIS IS NOT TRUE, you can make a declaration of local connection and nominate and address to collect correspondence from or state you will pick it up at the local regsitration office. I haev now offered my address to this person as somewhere they can get referendum related mail so if anyone knows of someone in this predicament please let them know they can still vote and potentially you can offer to help. voices must be heard.
Is EVERYTHING they say a lie? I now say this every day. Everything they say IS a lie..
He does know something about economics. He’s another “flipper”.
link to tinyurl.com
But he is also another Bilderburger so probably just chucking in his tuppence worth to stir up trouble for Scotland in the run up to the vote. Nice guy.
I wouldn’t worry about Balls, he is from the same clique as Milliband and all the useless ‘straight out of university’ types that haven’t had a proper job. Like our chum Murphy.
Also like Murphy’s young interns , who are travelling with him around Scotland (seen on all the vids).
Like the bright young thing that is Anna Yearley, Milliband’s senior aide, who recently called all northerners ‘backward’
They really are the crap of the crap that Blair enabled, when he corrupted the Labour party to create his ‘new labour project’
Alex Salmond + Nicola water challenge
link to youtube.com
The British Labour Party school of economics.
What happened when Labour were last in charge of the British economy, does anybody know?
I bet Ed has a brilliant economic alternative to the Tory/Lib Dem austerity programme all worked out which has been specifically designed to win Labour the next General Election.
Just as the British media have conducted a tirade against Scottish independence they have similarly campaigned against the euro since its inception.
When the euro was floated in 2002 ( it had existed as cyber currency for 2 years before) it traded at 60p to the £. It now trades at 80p to the £, fully 33% up from its start point.
If I had a few millions in the bank I would ensure it was in euros as it has proved to be a stronger currency than the volatile pound.
Having said that, I believe the Scottish Government policy of adopting the £ with or without a currency union is the right line to take for establishing our economy and other options e.g. euro,Scottish pound can be considered a few years further on. I have no reservations about selling this to the voters when canvassing.
I think Salmond’s problem in the debate tomorrow will be that he will not be allowed to spell out the pros of Independence. Darling will talk over him and the BBC man will cut short discussions at the appropriate time, either to take another question or to change the subject. We have seen this tactic being applied time after time on the BBC.
We have to remember that the BBC is not on the side of independence. It’s not even on the side of unbiased reporting.
O/T
We were over at my brother’s this afternoon. Not sure about him but I had my sister in law pegged as a No. Rock solid Lib Dem voter. You could have knocked me over with a feather when she said that the success of the Commonwealth Games boded well for the Referendum!
Slight downer on the way home when I saw my first car with a UKOK sticker, somewhat offset by another with a big, blue Yes.
Watch the Labour woman in the debate come unstuck.
link to youtube.com
OT as well. These feathers are causing a bit of a problem today. 🙂
But the weight of evidence supports the case that future oil revenues from the North Sea will be sufficient to support the SNP’s spending plans.
link to scotsman.com
@ Andrew Morton
Maybe it was a sticker for this –
link to facebook.com
Strange thing for Balls to say. I suspect they’ve looked at what the Conservatives have got away with , and tried the same tactic.
That being, if you can convince people of falsehoods, the truth doesn’t matter. The Tories have the media and state broadcaster to help them with that.
Balls maybe has the New Statesman and Daily Mirror. So his bullshit is even less convincing than Osborne’s.
Balls does have an understanding of economics. He has a brain, but also complete contempt for the Scottish electorate.
Sadly it is worse than Ed Balls being an idiot. He knows what he says is not true but he has such a low and paternalistic view of the people of Scotland (or maybe just No voters) that he thinks we are idiots who will A swallow this and B recoil in horror at using a major world currency.
That we will not be in a position for some time to join the Euro is something of a disappointment to me.
Now that is a fine example of what you would call a solid kicking of the Balls.
My current car sticker tally in and around Hamilton – Yes 85 No 11
My current Yes/No Window tally – 33-4
However, there has been a sudden increase in visible No supporters. One house I passed today had a huge “Scotland Says No To Seperation” poster in the window. Bit presumptious!
@Harry
It’s time we all started to show more saltire stickers and flags.
Even his wife won’t take his surname, as she probably talks as much of it!!
Of course Balls is talking nonsense. And I have never thought he was that clever. That said he is not an idiot either. He knows he is factually wrong.
He is in fact fishing for English votes in the Southern marginals with these kinds of utterances (and possibly trying to outdo Miliband in the process). It’s the typical (and increasingly deluded) Labour complacency re Scottish votes.
Get used to increasingly shrill Scots-bashing from the main parties in case of a “no” vote. The mechanics of FPTP and constituency boundaries at Westminster will mean fuelling resentment towards Scotland will be a vote winner.
We can’t say we won’t have been warned.
link to twitter.com The bizarre thing about the Obsevor editor interviewing Balls is he doesnt see fit to point out to his readers the how and why Balls is lying like this.
This is a top teamGB hack in full propaganda mode, unless he really hasn’t a clue what qualifies countries to use the Euro, Either or is just as likely, really crap Britnat journalism from Graun, shock.
OT: Undecided about the referendum?
link to new.livestream.com
OT: Undecided about the referendum?
link to new.livestream.com
Andrew Morton re ukok
saw a car in Perth today with what I thought was a ukok sticker but on inspection the imaginative driver had recomposed it as –
UK? no
UK is brOKe
Vote YES
Might confuse some but a decent effort.
Currency,( a means of exchange) is somewhat less important than Scotland’s balance sheet ie. Assets ( oil, renewables etc etc)
And liabilities ( principally the Westminster treasury )
We could significantly strengthen the balance sheet by
Voting YES ?
There you go. Told you so – Cameron has crapped it.
AS nominated him for the drookin and he declined to take the challange and instead will just make a donation.
What else could we expect – after all like Blair he is the brave guy to order UK troops to war but what’s all right as he will decline to lead them and make a visit to the troops after it is sake to do so.
It’s the Bullindon Boys way – School bully boys as long as someone else takes the risks.
I never pay any attention to anything Ed Balls says. I did laugh though, when I heard him say once that his sister Ophelia was very popular at school. 😉
In regards to the debate tomorrow, it will likely be like the last one. Salmond will be constantly interrupted by Darling and the BBC presenter. The audience will be similar to the STV debate, with No supporters outnumbering Yes ones. Expect to see the a good section of the audience abuse Salmond with the usual personal stuff. The idea that the British state is not going to deploy its usual tricks is laughable. Salmond has to perform better though.
O/T Re NHS privatisation…
link to milngavieherald.co.uk
This is quite funny, don’t know how they rank them though.
link to totalpolitics.com
2 (45) Laura Kuenssberg Chief Political Correspondent, BBC News, up from 45! Last time I watched this sneering delight, she interviewed Alex Salmond as if she’d just kecked herself. What a line up of UKOK liggers. Paxo does standup now and it’s rated very high by his chums in the media, so it’s probably a load of crap too.
Next year Embro festival, when they might be permitted to even discuss Scottish democracy, the Jim Naughty comedy show or Alex Salmond, My part in his downfall.
SUNDAY HERALD free ICONIC windows stickers today, for ‘YES WINDOWS DAY’ on 1st Sept.
The Sunday Herald are giving away these free Window Stickers inside todays Sunday Herald.
Get along to your local shop and grab yours before they all sell out.
I got last one in my local, phew!
Watch Undecided about the Referendum live now on…
link to new.livestream.com
As suggested above, Ball’s ridiculous ‘intervention’ is probably a setup for the debate tomorrow so that they waste loads of time talking about plan B.
I’m looking at the TV schedule and tomorrow STV are also broadcasting a debate. What?! Are they broadcasting the first STV debate in order to catch out the unwary by trying to pass it off as the most current debate, which happens to be on earlier on BBC tomorrow.
Dubious UK broadcasters.
Mutley 79,
I agree. The debate tomorrow will likely be filled with anti Salmond stuff, instead of discussing the REAL details of independence. Lots of jingoistic finger pointing from Darling in place of any coherent arguments.
I regard it as a pointless exercise. Nothing will be learned, Salmond will be abused, and regardless of how well he does, he will be portrayed as a loser.
What I would really like to see, would be 2 full two hour interviews, with both parties (done separately), with a highly competent, neutral presenter doing a forensic examination of each sides arguments. We all know that will not happen however, for 2 reasons;
1. The BBC doe not possess such a competent impartial presenter. They do have good political presenters, but sadly they are all biased London subservient unionists.
2. The BBC and their London Government masters, know full well the unionist case is a pack of lies, and would be exposed as such when exposed to even the mildest scrutiny.
link to theguardian.com
Check out the BTL comments who claim the Wee Blue Book is biased and false despite not actually looking at it. 🙂
Why is the media not challenging crap like this ???????
Balls is an easy target,,,,,
Oh wait….. That would mean impartiality
wingman 2020 @ 6:52
Interesting thing in that article in some phrasing, where Libby Brooks writes that Salmond will be trying to win over “the 15% or so of Scottish voters who pollsters estimate have yet to be convinced by the case for leaving the union”. I realise that she means undecideds, but the way it reads is as if the other 85% have already been convinced by the case!
Do all the people worrying about currency stay awake all night before heading off abroad worrying about how they will pay for anything where pounds are not the accepted medium of payment?
This was on Yes Arbroaths facebook page.
link to youtube.com
Anyone who votes no because of fear of what the currency is a f*in thicko, sorry but they are. This man is a disgrace and his attempt to undermine Scottish self determination will not be forgotten.
Well, well, Balls talks balls!
More vandalism against Yes signs
link to twitter.com
ot i expect some will have seen this short clip.
link to youtube.com
I am frying fish.
#Marcia
It looks so well made, I think they just wanted to take it home.
It’s snapped off where it is nailed to the post
A vandal would have smashed it all up…
mr thms
To fit with this thread – balls!
A newly independent Scotland would have a better Human Development Index (HDI) than the rest of the UK, even without oil, a leading international finance company has said.
link to newsnetscotland.com
@ Harry McAye
I have seen a handful of the “Scotland Says No To ….” posters in windows. I was struck how they reminded me of the Ulster ones at the time of the Anglo Irish Agreement. I assumed they were something produced by the Orange Lodge.
I have seen precious few other No posters but am seeing more and more Yes windows and especially badges appearing.
This vid is from the Yes Caithness facebook page. It’s the brother of Ian Smart.
Good watch
link to youtube.com
o/t the new thread has only two comments so on here it goes never have i seen such bullshit in my life also this states that England is 1 of the 34 countries in the EU if anything it should either make you laugh or cry
link to facebook.com
just more confusion and obfuscation. I can’t believe he’s as daft as the words he utters, but he’s only adding to the pile of negative headlines and scare stories for the hard of thinking. I don’t mean to be unkind but when you hear people don’t know the NHS in Scotland is independent, you know who his target is.
Studies indicate that banknotes might even serve as a vector of disease.
At least Osborne can fall back on towel folding when he leaves politics; a singularly unique preparatory skill for a Chancellor.
Like other’s I travel a lot and find that many places accept multiple currencies simultaneously & I’ve never heard a complain by any of them that because Greece defaulted on its sovereign debts that the Euros I presented couldn’t be accepted.
I use Paypal a lot to handle international payments from anyone who has the equivalent currency but I don;t care which currency it is.
I care no more about which currency an independent Scotland might use either because that’s not why we are having the referendum.
The referendum is asking us a much more important and fundamental questions, admittedly in shorthand.
Do you accept that the current undemocratic bicameral Westminster system that resides in another country, has been repeatedly proven to be wholly corrupt & self serving?
or ….
Do you believe that your wealth, your country’s wealth & the decisions made on your behalf would be better managed by the very people who live & work in your own country?
London or Edinburgh? It’s really simple.
I gave this short shrift on the Guardian last night with a couple of the BT regulars suggesting I misunderstood and that Balls didn’t mean immediately. As I pointed out, what use is a plan B that you can’t use for years?
A shockingly poor piece of nonsense from Balls. I wonder if Darling will run with it tomorrow or whether he will blank it
F
s
So sorry should have added annie
First we ignore them, then we laughs at them, then we fight them and then we win. Let’s just put our energy into winning.
What an absolutely brilliant Livestream that was tonight. Well done to the Independence Live guys and the fantastic panel.
James Caithness, thanks for the YouTube clip, hilarious to watch the two Labour folk getting their knickers in a twist, trying to wriggle their way out of mis- information!,
Brian, I’m offshore and the stream was being blocked, did I miss any new info?.
If the proposal is that Ed Balls is an idiot (which I fully agree with)
What does that say about Ed Millibands judgement in keeping him in place?
Once we’ve all got over the hangover and we realise what we’ve just done; amidst all the optimism, excitement and energy, I hope we make sure that all those who mis-informed, all those who mis-led and all those who downright lied will be remembered and brought to task. I’m not normally one for holding grudges, but some of those journalists and politicians who tried to hold our country down need to face the consequences……make them squirm.
highseastim, there was a question on the oil. The whole vid will be on Youtube soon im told. Highly recommended and well worth watching.
effete balls…
No wait, that’s his missus
Coulter
all those who misled and all those who downright lied will be … brought to task.
There’s certainly a strong case for them to be confronted and made to explain their regressive actions.
Thanks for that Brian
@James Caithness
Loved your Arbroath video link. Haha these peeps make it too easy.
Is Ed Balls an idiot, unfit for his job or is he a deliberate liar who will say anything just to get people to do what he wants them to do? Hard to pick just the one option of the two, maybe…
Yes indeed Ed Balls is an idiot. And we collectively gave him and his pals the mandate to govern us. Think on Scotland.
MP’s, You Can’t Live With Them AND.. They’re Everywhere.
link to youtube.com
If the No campaign had fought their campaign on open honest debate, without threats, then there is a fair chance they could have won it. That is not possible now.
[…] link to wingsoverscotland.com […]