Ed Balls has said in this morning's Daily Mirror here that he was bullied at school.
I was sorry to read this. Bullying is reprehensible. But I don't think that Balls gave the interview because he wanted to get his feelings off his chest.
Rather, its rationale appears to be that because Balls was bullied at school, he'd be the right Labour leader to take on the Tories (who, by implication, are themselves bullies - remember Labour's "Flashman" jibe at David Cameron, for example here).
This logic is flawed, for the following reason.
Balls has - let's face it - a bit of a reputation as a bully himself. Don't take my word for it. See what Labour MPs say - for example, here.
And if people think you're a bully, it's no use explaining that you're a bully because you yourself were bullied. Even if you're bullying bullies. Or people that you claim are bullies. Because all it does is remind people that you're a bully. Which they don't like.
I've a hunch that women voters in particular are turned off by the whole macho, swaggering, football-crazy, hard-drinking, Brown-crony, all-lads-together bullying thing, but have to admit that I can't prove it.
But at any rate, don't go on about bullying. Particularly if the real reason why people laugh at you is nothing to do with either your name or your stammer. I'll set out this reason, and evidence for it, in LeftWatch later today.
P.S: I apologise if I appear to be bullying Balls. Because I'm not a bully. Really.
