How to Balls up big style

There has been a fundamental principle guiding the left's commitment to universal benefit that everybody contributes and everybody should benefit. Many years ago as a young activist, I recall a visit by Rodney Bickerstaffe, as then general secretary of UNISON, who came to the Manchester branch and as part of the visit he met with some older people in the Lord Mayor's parlour.

Balls - opponent of NMW, supporter of banking deregulation, gets it wrong again on Pay

Trade unionists will be dismayed at yesterday's comments by Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls that public sector pay being capped at 1% for 2013 and 2014 is ''inevitable' and that the Opposition would support continued pay restraint 'Labour cannot duck that reality - and we won't. Jobs must be our priority before higher pay.'

Mixed message from Balls on Public Sector Pensions

In his speech today at the Labour Party Conference, Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls MP described the Con Dem Government’s approach to pensions as ‘confrontational and unfair’ but was equivocal on the upcoming industrial action to resist the imposed changes ‘there is nothing George Osborne would like better than a strike this autumn to divert attention from his failing economic plan… we know too that there are difficult decisions on pensions which we cannot duck and that under Labour contributions and the retirement age would be rising too’: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/labour/8789445/Labour-Party-Conference-Ed-Balls-speech-in-full.html

Labour Link Forum: Labour has to offer an alternative economic policy

The UNISON Labour Link (APF) National Forum started yesterday in Liverpool. This is the annual meeting of the UNISON affiliated political fund. UNISON members have a choice whether to pay a voluntary levy to the Labour Party or to a non-aligned General fund (or none). Elected union lay representatives from all over the UK met to debate policies and campaigns, take part in workshops and meet Councillors, MPs and MEPs.

Balls is talking bollocks

#uNDC11 It is safe to assume that Ed Balls MP has never taken a day’s strike action in his working life. And like most of his colleagues in the Parliamentary Labour Party his union membership is largely a symbolic line on his political CV.