Why I’m backing Ed Balls for leader

By Ellie Gellard / @BevaniteEllie

Right now, the task for our next leader is to oppose the Tory-Liberal swingeing cuts which will hit the most vulnerable, hardest. For the leadership debate to become a purgatory exercise in which the party turns in on itself would be a disaster for those who rely on Labour to defend them. We must always be a voice for those who will be on the receiving end of the Government cuts such as Free School Meals for half a million children and Building Schools for the Future projects.

These ideologically-driven cuts are not only unfair but are deeply damaging to the economy and, crucially, to our society. It’s all horribly familiar. We need a candidate who has the passion, determination and strength to oppose these “solutions” which see opportunity not as investment but as “profligacy”.

Our party needs a leader who will fight these cuts and defend our legacy- now- not in September. It speaks volumes that Ed Balls chose to launch his new website with a campaign to target the “unfairest tax of all” – a probable hike in VAT. These are his principles in action, challenging the Government’s decision to hit the poorest, eldest, and youngest, hardest.

But that doesn’t mean to say that things do not need to change. We didn’t win the election and we must look at why that was the case. That’s why the party needs someone who can take the fight to the coalition and renew the party at the same time. The task of our next leader is to engage with our base, our street fighters, those who won the seats we thought unwinnable.

Members must be more than leaflet deliverers, they must have a voice – one the leadership listens to and converses with. Ed has highlighted the importance of the Trade Union link with our Party. Our history shows that when we stand united we are an unstoppable force for fairness – no longer should our relationship with thousands of working people be neglected. If we nurture our base – our members, our councillors, trade unionists, our affiliated societies – if we recognise that in many areas these are the people who kept our support strong when we feared it might fracture, it is not only right to value and extend their role, if we want to win again, it is necessary.

We therefore need a leader who will be formidable in opposition, but also someone who will lead us back into Downing Street. The debate we are currently having is critical to our future, but the fact remains, in opposition we are powerless, and the people who rely on a Labour government are vulnerable. We must be acutely aware of the goal we can never lose sight of – government – where we have the power to change (not just talk about changing) the lives of the many for the better. We need a leader who is running in this race not for himself, but for his party. That leader is Ed Balls.