Ed Balls: "So what?"

I apologise for the breach in netiquette in blogging twice in one day, but this is an important story.

In David Cameron's excellent Budget reply, he said at one point (I paraphrase):

"Under Labour, Britain is more taxed than at any point in its history".

On the front bench, Ed Balls - The Man Who Would Be King (part II) heckled:

"So what?'

This astounding statement was met with hoots of shock and disdain from the Tory benches and surprised Cameron sufficiently for him to come back: "So what, says the minister for children. I know he wants to be Chancellor so badly it hurts. I have to tell him another Budget like the one we have just heard and he won't have to wait very long."

So there you have it, ladies and gentleman. Taxed up to the eyeballs? Labour says "So what."

re you an NHS nurse who now pays 20% instead of 10%? Labour says "So what". (Brown sneered without reply when Cameron raised the tax con abolition of the 10p rate).

Are you fed up with stealth taxes and council tax rises because the government won't fund your town, just as it won't fund Corby? Labour says "So what."

Are you one of the thousands of British girls forced into a marriage that Labour won't stop because it cosies up to 'community leaders'? Labour says "So what".

Are you a small business trying to create jobs hit with a swingeing tax rise? Labour says "So what."

Brown treated the people "like fools" . Now Balls treats them with utter contempt from the front bench. Call an election Gordon. We'll show you, and Ed Balls, 'so what'.

Comments

[Andrew Langley]

Ed Balls once again showing what a contemptable, arrogant and pathetic individual he truly is.
His "so what" response to the fact that we are more taxed now than ever, should be hung round his neck forever as a reminder of how out of touch Brown's government has become.
I hope CCHQ is getting footage, and ready to run with this big time. It encaptures in a second what we would try to espouse in a 100 words.

[Anne]

Balls is claiming (and being reported) as saying he said "so weak" not "so what". Is there any way of proving this one way or another? Don't the microphones pick up what he said even if the broadcast doesnt? What about tv footage - were there any on Balls which recorded his reaction?

[Alex Deane]

completely agree. I just told the story of the "so what?" over dinner tonight.

[Louise Bagshawe]

I think most of us and the entire Tory front bench heard "So what" - nor did Balls deny it when the camera cut back to him. Perhaps CCHQ boffins can clear up the audio.

The Daily Mail is also reporting it as "So what?"

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=532369&in_page_id=1770

[Tim Montgomerie]

You're so right to emphasise this Louise. Someone out there should make a YouTube video based on what you have written above.

[Northernhousewife]

Even 'so weak' is bad. It is still dismissive, suggesting a high tax burden is not a good point worth making.
If that is the best defence Balls has, its poor.

[Oscar Miller]

Political Betting reports that Hansard has accepted Ed Balls version of events that he said "so weak" - and have already printed it online. Balls reminds me of Cherie Blair pretending she didn't say "well that's a lie" during Brown's 2006 conference speech. It's a hopeless cover up and should not be given credence.

[James Burdett]

I think that the mentality behind the comments would be better illustrated if you substitute the words "so what" for the words "stuff you".

You think taxes are too high - so what/stuff you
want an NHS dentist - so what/stuff you
want the referendum you were promised - so what/stuff you

[Louise Bagshawe]

Tim and Oscar,

I think a YouTube video and clear audio should be made. It would be good, if Mr. Balls is in fact being "economical with the actualite" in this matter, to find him out. Alas, this is wholly beyond my technical skills. Paging Guido Fawkes, perhaps?

[Northernhousewife]

All the more reason Oscar to get some clever anaroks on it.
Mind you, wasn't it recently that Darling was misquoted and Hansard was said to be 'not an exact record'.
Still, if we could prove he said it it would also show up a lie.
Have your cake and eat it.
Where's Guido when you need him?

[Northernhousewife]

Beat me to it Louise.
Lets shout together... GUIDO!!!!

[Alan S]

Gawd. EB looks so smug in that photo.

[Iain]

I gather the Guardian journalist, the one who got to do the questions and answers at the Labour party conference has tried to claim Balls said 'swot' .

[Patsy Sergeant]

I think one could say that Mr. Balls is beginning to get 'above himself', one can only imagine what he (and his crystal faced wife) would be like as the 'main man', and wife, of this country.

I would say that Mr. Balls has an awful lot more to learn about life - and perhaps failure, before he will make a leader of any weight. After all it is 'knocks' and failures that we experience in life that is what really makes ones character, it is certainly not being nurtured as a kind of precocious ingenue, that prepares one for the pressures of the top job, we have some sort of example of that at the moment.

[Newmania]

This is not good enough .The thrust of the Conservative attack (as they are not promising any tax cuts ) can only be that Brown allowed indebtedness to get out of hand to the point where this tedious and neutral budgets the only possible response to a downturn. Cameron has defended himself on that basis and Nick Boles on his behalf , to name two of the many. They were not being honest about their motives but we`ll leave that for now
We had all day to answer this and yet on Sky`s budget Special Yvette Copper just banged that nail in the narrative again and again. All the Conservative spokesman did was repeat the now free floating accusation that the National debt was out of control . He sounded like a broken action man.
Once again an open goal has been spurned and it is because we do not promote talent only acceptably bland but mentally feeble. John Redwood would have carefully removed her legs like a curious boy examining an ant. ..but then he knows what he is talking about .

This just looks childish. “He said.. he said….oo Miss, he`s STILL chewing ! “ . No-one cares.
Fun stuff for a blog but to actually form part of the main response as it appears to be makes the Conservative Party look like toffs flicking pebbles at men doing real work .All wrong ,lets hope someone has thought a little harder by tomorrow.

[Oscar Miller]

To my ear 'so weak' is just not something you would shout out. 'Weak' perhaps, but not 'so weak'. But I agree it would be good to clear this up. And we do have the technology - (not that I have a clue how to use it). Guido?

[Guido Fawkes]

It is up there ladies.

Click on my name above.

[Guido Fawkes]

I mean below (there and above here). Click on the name anyway.

[Matt]

http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/VideoPlayer.aspx?meetingId=1241&rel=ok
Find it on this - just over 2 hours in - it tends to pick up all the audio in the house, you can hear everything on the parliament channel.

He did seem to be mouthing 'so weak' to correct Cameron after he picked up on it, when I watched it. This might prove it once and for all!

[Anne]

Maybe it's my antiquated equipment, Guido, but I can't hear Balls's comment.....

[Tapestry]

So what? A million people have left since 1997 - so far and counting. Most highly qualified, high earning, capable and with the skills the country is increasingly short of. That's what.

Britain is so badly governed, it's becoming too depressing to read about it much more. Just sell the house and go, is my advice. There's a better, less regulated, lower-taxed life awaiting you in any number of countries. Britain is not a competitive place to live.

[Andrew Hemsted]

So what, so weak. Whatever he said was just showing with how much contempt these people treat the majority of the people in this country.

We all now we are over taxed. I have tried saving money over that last few years, but as my bills have gone up, my taxes have gone up I have found this more and more impossible if I want to have even a basic standard of living.

But is anyone surprised. We are talking about a person who has never really had a proper job in the real world in his life (a problem we have with many MP's on all sides). He has no idea how much pressure people are under, but if he did, I doubt whether he would really care.

The sooner we get rid of this blood sucking, wealth destroying, State loving government the better

[David Boothroyd]

Hansard has it as 'so weak'. It's another quote along the lines of "Yo, Blair" and "Play it again, Sam" - something everyone remembers hearing but was never actually said.

[Conservative Homer]

He could of at least said only for the rich!
But of course that would be a lie, its the middle and working classes who now pay a greater share of their income as tax. So much for labour being the party of the working class.

[Tony Makara]

The one thing that particularly strikes me about so many of the Labour leading lights is their immaturity. They just don't behave like statesmen at all. It is this sort of behaviour that turns people off politics.