Talking Balls

Iain Dale predicts that whenever the next election is held, Ed Balls will play a big part in losing it for Labour. Well, in my view Balls has already played a major role in potentially losing the next election for Labour by talking up the election that wasn't.

Although some are trying to blame Douglas Alexander, it was Balls who went on the Today Programme to suggest that the greater risk for Labour lay in not going to the country this year, and it was this, coming on the day the polls showed an 11pc Labour lead, that really sent all the speculation into the stratosphere.

Why was Balls so keen to have an election, I wonder? Could it possibly be the case that Gordon had promised to make him Chancellor of the Exchequer in the post-election reshuffle, as well as making his missus Yvette Cooper a full member of the Cabinet at last?

I know not. But given that Balls has been not inaccurately described as the Deputy Chancellor for most of the past decade, it seems a reasonable enough supposition to me.

Inheritance Tax

I hate to say I told you so, but....

Blogging v Journalism

For the benefit of anyone who can't be bothered to shell out £9-74 at Politicos for a copy of Iain Dale's Guide to Political Blogging, the article I wrote for it about the journalism-blogging interface can be read on my companion blog, now called Behind the Lines.

The article is also featured on "Best of the Web" on Comment is Free.