Morning Report – June 17th

Oh Danny Boy…Alexander is making himself even more popular today, writing for the Telegraph (the Tory paper of record) he spells out the determination of the government to go to war with the unions. What a good Conservative Party politician that man is. Because that’s what the Tories do isn’t it? Provoke a fight with the unions (and claim the unions are picking a fight with them), attack them relentlessly, then claim victory. What do you mean Alexander isn’t a Tory. Surely some mistake…?

Anyway, this time young Daniel is marching into battle for his Conservative masters in the Treasury in the name of public sector pension reform. It’s a wonderful word reform isn’t it? Because it always sounds positive. Much more positive, for example, than working longer for less, for example. That sounds much worse. Yet we’re not expecting Osborne’s human shield to start calling his “reforms” “changes to pensions which will cost workers more and make them work longer”. But £5 to the first person who hears him say those words…

Nice of the Daily Mail to take such an interest in Ed Balls speech to the LSE yesterday, although the report bears little relation to the event as a whole (or for that matter, the majority of what was said) – look away now if you’re offended by the sight of Quentin Letts’ prose.

And when did Ed Miliband start planning his leadership bid? The Independent seem surprised that he was planning it before the general election – wasn’t this common knowledge? No-one who stands to be leader of a party pulls together a leadership bid from scratch in a week…not if they intend to win anyway. For more details from the upcoming book on Ed Miliband’s leadership bid, check out today’s Independent.