| Is Alan Johnson the right choice for shadow chancellor? | Martin Kettle and Jenni Russell Two Guardian writers take opposing stances on Alan Johnson's appointment as shadow chancellorYES: Martin Kettle'A good communicator with bags of ministerial experience'Here are ten reasons why Alan Johnson is the right choice as shadow chancellor.First, because unlike some of the obvious alternatives, Ed Miliband can absolutely trust him. Johnson is a team player who did not and does not want to be Labour leader.Second, because it shows that Miliband rightly wants to lead from the front and not sublet economic policy to the shadow chancellor as Tony Blair did; the key public spending shadow team will now be Miliband, Johnson and the new work and pensions shadow, Douglas Alexander, a well-balanced group.Third, because although Ed Balls was qualified to do the job, his many skills do not include the emotional intelligence and loyalty he now needs to work at.Fourth, because, rightly or wrongly, Yvette Cooper, though also qualified for the job (it will be interesting to discover if she was offered it and turned it down), would partly be seen as a surrogate for her husband.Fifth, because Johnson cannot be personally accused of owning Labour's past economic policy failures in the way that the alternatives might have been; the new shadow Treasury team is definitely not Team Gordon Brown 2.0.Sixth, because he is a good communicator, good in the House of Commons and an ideal contrast with the slick skills of the formidable George Osborne.Seventh, because his appointment again shows that the union bosses who claimed they had got their party back after Miliband's election do not have the Labour leader in their pocket; if the unions thought they would be running Labour's anti-cuts strategy, they know now that they won't.Eighth, because he is honest and smart enough not to be in denial about the deficit and will not dogmatically oppose every cut as though it is part of an ideological slash-and-burn.Ninth, because he brings a lot of working-class life and trade union experience, which complements Miliband's middle-class, intellectual, professional background.Tenth, because he has bags of high-level ministerial experience, runs a good office, knows the system and is a good decision-maker who will see things through.NO: Jenni Russell 'Charm is no substitute for fierce intelligence'It is a huge mistake. Ed Miliband's decision to give the shadow chancellorship to Alan Johnson is shocking. This is the most important job in opposition. Over the next five years the question of what to do about the economy is going to dominate every political discussion. At a time of such crisis, when the government's policies are so contentious, what this post demands is someone who has a real grasp of economic issues, a ferocious attention to detail, and a capacity to shock and unsettle the chancellor with forensic criticisms.Johnson has none of these qualities. Everybody likes him. He is laid-back, non-competitive and charming. These are delightful characteristics in a friend and a colleague. They will not do in this post. Charm across the dispatch box – and he will deploy plenty – will be no substitute for fierce intelligence and deep understanding.The appointment is a sign of how uncertain Miliband is about his ability to control his colleagues. The chancellorship is the job Ed Balls has always wanted. Balls is brilliant and fierce. Yet there were many reasons not to give it to him. Balls has been shocked by the rise of the other Ed, whom he always regarded as much the junior partner when they worked together for Gordon Brown. He might have constructed a dangerous alternative power base in the Treasury. He is a natural manipulator of others, and his years of scheming and politicking during the Brown /Blair divide have given him long experience in how to take power away from Number 10. Most importantly for the new leader, Balls's opposition to a swift reduction of the deficit might have been too radical for an opposition that wants to fight the next election from the centre ground.It is for those reasons that many observers hoped the post would go to Balls' wife, the economist Yvette Cooper. Long overshadowed by her husband, Cooper shone in the months after Labour's defeat, launching well-researched and ingenious attacks on government policy while the leadership candidates were preoccupied with criticising one another. She has become an accomplished performer, completely confident of her ground. It was thought she might refuse the job if offered it, afraid of usurping her husband. In the event, it seems, she wasn't even given the choice, possibly because Miliband feared that she would be too influenced by Balls pulling strings behind the scenes. Instead she goes to the Foreign Office – a complete waste of her talent.It was always going to be difficult for the new leader to construct an effective frontbench, constrained as he was by the departure of his brother and the limits placed on him by the party's selection of the shadow cabinet. Unfortunately, in choosing not to deploy his shadow ministers' abilities in the areas where they are most needed, he has made the situation worse. Of course he is scarred by the experience of the internal rivalries of the last 13 years, but he has made a mistake in simply trying to sidestep them. He should have taken a risk on Cooper, and put Balls somewhere where an economic brain was of use. Instead he has chosen as chancellor someone whom he can, to a large extent, control. Perhaps it was partly an attempt to heal the rift with the supporters of David, of whom Johnson was one.I was an early backer of Ed Miliband. I still believe he has the capacity to be an effective leader. But this is a poor start.Alan JohnsonLabourMartin KettleJenni Russellguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Cameron backs safety law shake-up David Cameron backs a proposed shake-up of health and safety laws - including forcing councils to pay compensation for wrongly cancelling events. bbc.co.uk |
7/7 inquests: police officer recounts trying to save lives A senior police officer broke down as he described his attempts to save lives in the ''absolute mayhem'' of the 7/7 attacks. telegraph.co.uk |
Injuries and arrests as anti-cuts protest in south-east London turns violent Police forced to call for reinforcements as hundreds force their way into Lewisham Council meetingPolice tonight arrested several people outside Lewisham town hall in south-east London as demonstrators tried to gatecrash a meeting where councillors were voting to cut the council budget by £60m.Officers had to call for help from the Metropolitan police's Territorial Support Group as 100 protesters tried to force their way into the building."Police have made a number of arrests for criminal damage and public order offences," the Met said in a statement. "A number of police officers were treated for minor injuries."Sue Luxton, a former Green party councillor who was returning home from work at 6.45pm, said she saw 200 to 300 protesters, including a large number of students from Goldsmiths College."People were angry because the council had arranged for only 40 people to attend the meeting, although many wanted to be there," Luxton said. "About 100 people tried to rush in. I think the police were little overwhelmed. There were police with riot shields and police horses. The area was cordoned off – buses couldn't get through."A YouTube video showed much pushing and shoving outside the town hall as police barred protesters holding "fight the cuts" placards and who were chanting: "Let us in."Darren Johnson, a Green councillor, said he voted against the cuts along with two Conservatives. The Labour majority voted in favour while the Liberal Democrats abstained."There are better ways of doing these rather deep cuts in frontline services," Johnson said. "I spoke of the importance of reducing high salaries of officers and cutting budgets for consultants, PR and marketing. These cuts will mean the closure of an early learning centre and less street cleaning."Local councils face large budget cuts after the coalition government significantly reduced local government funding in October's comprehensive spending review. Lewisham has to find savings of £60m in its annual £271m budget over the next three years. Mike Harris, the Labour vice-chair of the council, said: "Lewisham gets 82% of its income from central government. After the CSR, we expect our budget to be reduced by 29% which will have an absolutely devastating effect on local services. Tonight, protesters set off flames and attempted to storm the town hall. The sad thing is, people will get increasingly angry as the cuts begin to bite on the very poorest in society."ProtestLondonPoliceTax and spendingSpending review 2010Mark Tranguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
OBR predicts 160,000 fewer public sector jobs will be lost About 160,000 fewer public sector workers are facing redundancy than originally feared as a result of the Government's spending review, the Office for Budget Responsibility said as it raised its UK growth forecast. telegraph.co.uk |