Balls: This is a battle of ideas, not a beauty contest

By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982

Ed Balls has written an article in today’s Mirror, entitled ‘I want Labour to win again by showing whose side we are really on’.

The piece focuses partly on Ed Balls’ own life and heritage, and places it in the context of why he wants to be Labour leader:

“All the opportunities my family and I have had in life were only made possible by the achievements of the Labour party in government. My grandfather, a lorry driver, died from cancer soon after the war, when my father, the youngest of three boys, was only 10. My father, from a widowed family in a working-class community in Norwich, was able to stay on at school at 16 and get a scholarship to university.

All the opportunities that he and we have been able to enjoy were only made possible because of the welfare state the Labour government created in 1945, reflecting our core belief that opportunity should be available for all, not just for the privileged few. And the reason I am Labour is because I want these same chances for every one of my constituents and every family in our country.”

And, continuning his campaign theme so far, Balls also says:

“Throughout the debate about the Labour leadership, I have argued for a proper contest, not a coronation. A battle about ideas, not a beauty contest. Labour must win again. It is going to be a hard slog. There are no quick fixes or easy solutions. But it has to start with listening to you, the people.”

Read the full article here.