Does Ed Balls’ attack on Field suggest more 10p tax anguish?
Ed Balls, Gordon Brown’s best mate in the cabinet, has been briefing the press this morning in response to Frank Field’s ill-advised BBC radio interview on Sunday. Apart from the unseemly nature of the row being dragged on in public- and it must look incredibly childish to the electorate- this suggests the possibility that Balls is looking to spike Field’s guns ahead of the Treasury’s compensation package announcement for those negatively affected by the abolition of the 10p tax rate.
“People could look at what he was saying a few weeks ago and believe at the time his intentions were honourable, but I think it is very unlikely on what I have seen since that Frank Field will support any proposal that is brought forward by the government on the 10p.”
I fear that Balls is speaking as a man who knows that the worst of this argument is yet to come. My worry is that he knows that the proposal will be met with opposition for legitimate reasons. Time will tell, but I expect the compensation proposition to show that the Labour party are not yet listening and responding in the way that they have pledged to do. If Balls (and, by implication, Brown) felt confident in their proposition, then surely Field’s attacks would have been ignored with Statesmanlike self-assurance. Smearing Field’s motivation for something which he hasn’t yet said reflects badly upon all involved. It isn’t quite an own-goal, but it’s a bloody dangerous place to hand the ball to the opposition.
I would have agreed with your assessment before today’s news. It’s still early days, and certainly it’s far from perfect, but if “80% of households are fully compensated, with the remaining 20% compensated by at least half”, the Government’s (eventual) response was much better than I’d feared.
The question is, why did it take so long? Moroever, will we see a change in policy to an anti-poverty strategy that doesn’t assume hardship conforms to the tax credit system…
Dan, I couldn’t agree more. As my latest post (http://theraffishdandy.wordpress.com/2008/05/13/labour-may-well-have-resolved-the-10p-tax-situation-what-a-pleasant-surprise/) states, this is such an unexpectedly simple, swift and sweeping response that it may- just may- signal them beginning to find their way again after the disasters of the last six months.
As you identify, many questions remain. But is at least a good start.