Labour heavyweight Ed Balls in Telford
Thursday 17th March 2011, 7:00PM GMT.
Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls asked Shropshire residents to help shape the new Labour manifesto during a visit to the county today.
He joined Telford MP David Wright on stage at the New Politics Fresh Ideas conference at the Business Development Centre, on Stafford Park, in Telford.
He also took part in group discussions involving about 45 delegates on unemployment, the economy, the cost of living and education.
Mr Balls admitted it was “nerve-wracking” to go face-to-face with voters, but said it was the only way Labour could hope to recover from its 2010 election defeat.
He said: “We are seeing similar themes being raised at all the events we hold, mainly Education Maintenance Allowance, youth unemployment, banking regulation and fears that we are going back to the 1980s.
“I know unemployment is rising across Telford and Shropshire and I’m determined to respond to people’s genuine concerns. I also know EMA is a big issue in rural areas of Shropshire as it can have such a big impact on young people getting to school.
“But the key is we can’t tell the people that didn’t vote for us that they were wrong and our policies were right. We need to look at why they didn’t support our policies and the key issues affecting their lives.”
Mr Balls was due to visit Birmingham and Coventry later today as part of the campaign, which will see consultation events held in 50 towns and cities.
Mr Wright said he was pleased his constituents were getting a chance to make a real impact on national policies.
He said: “It’s really been very interesting to see what people are talking about. We are serious that what is said today will be properly taken into consideration.”
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Reading this I can’t help thinking it was written before the conference actually took place.
I took part in it, and I never heard EMA mentioned. What I did see was a genuine consultation exercise which I’m glad I took part in.
Just for once there were no leading questions – just groups of local people saying what they think, which can best be summed up as wanting a fairer society
If the Labour Party listens to what was said today it will return to its roots and become a genuine alternative to the various flavours of Tory.
I’m not a member of the Labour Party (or any other), but I left today’s event impressed – not least by the simple decency of the comments made by others who attended.
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I wonder about the make-up of the audience as I received an invite and was surprised to see that the meeting was to be held during working hours.
No doubt Ed Balls heard a lot about the plight of people from a one-sided perspective as people with jobs were probably not inclined (or allowed) to take time off to see him.
Perhaps a case, once again, of Labour preaching to the converted, and evaluating support for their policies upon the reactions of an audience made up of a narrow cross-section of society?
Always a dangerous thing to do if that was indeed the case.
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A good point about the timing – I’m a partner in a small business but weekday/daytime events like this are usually not convenient.
There was a noticeable predominance of shall we say ‘more mature’ people in the audience, inevitable I suppose given the timing.
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Rodney for gods sake shut your cake ole
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Let’s hope Ed Balls has a better attitude to people’s views than Alistair Campbell who said in an interview at the weekend ‘We did not ignore the big anti-war march in 2003. We listened. Then we took a different decision’.
I hear from a participant that this really did appear to be a genuine consultation. We’ll see.
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I have only one thing to say…Heavyweight Balls.
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Shame labour didn’t listen when it was in power, easy to listen when you have zero resonsibility and the damage has already been done
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Will this be another totally fictional work like the 2005 manifesto?
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I am not the only who was working and couldn’t make it, as we have to think of putting bread and butter on the table with a minimum wage.
Suggestion you wanted – increase the minimum wage as all the profits made by directors has been wasted purchasing properties abroad and living in luxury. When it gets tough they are back in the country.
Money Government will save paying Tax Credits, housing benefit and Council Tax. Workers on a minimum wage will be Stress free, happy and not used as cheap labour.
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Absolutely right.
The average FTSE 350 compant pay increase for executives and directors last year was 45%!
Many of these large companies employ legions of minimum wage earners – they can well afford to pay a living wage. Why should taxpayers continue to fund low-rent employers with benefit subsidies?
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hes a good guy that ed, the kings speech has inspired me to respect ed balls for overcoming his stammer to be an excellent public speaker, he is awe inspiring in his intellect and his oratory and you think what he went through as a kid and overcame all
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[I wonder about the make-up of the audience as I received an invite and was surprised to see that the meeting was to be held during working hours]
We have a 24 hr economy Rodney so that doesn’t really apply. There is only one worker in my five person working house that works 9 to 5. Only one that has full time hours too.
[If the Labour Party listens to what was said today it will return to its roots and become a genuine alternative to the various flavours of Tory.]
I think he ought to avoid Shrewsbury then. There’s not a Labour or Lib Dem that is not a true Tory here!
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Listen Ed: Labour Governments ALWAYS wreck the economy.
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