All change in the ranks- enter the “BRUISER”

Tonight there is change afoot in the labour camp as shadow chancellor Alan Johnson has resigned from Labour leader Ed Miliband’s frontbench team, citing “personal” reasons. He is replaced by Ed Balls, previously the shadow home secretary.

His resignation comes after just three-and-a-half months in the job following several recent gaffes when discussing tax and economic matters, including appearing in an interview not to know the rate of National Insurance paid by employers. Here is the shadow cabinet as follows:

NEW SHADOW CABINET

• Shadow chancellor – Ed Balls
• Shadow home secretary – Yvette Cooper
• Shadow foreign secretary – Douglas Alexander
• Shadow Cabinet Office minister – Tessa Jowell
• Shadow work and pensions secretary – Liam Byrne

I for one welcome Ed Balls’ elevation to this position as I feel due to his effective attacks on the coalition as shadow schools (hammer of the GOVE!) and shadow home secretary, I feel he will provide a savage attack on the con-dems and their repressive economic policies. As much as i respect Alan, i felt he was wrong for the job and his high profile disagreements with Ed seemed a weakness and a distrcation from the issues. This appointment can only bring added force to our opposing force. He shall be the bruiser friend who fights bullies who pick on you! As Ed Miliband once joked, “2 Ed’s are better than one” and hopefully we shall prove it. Osborne, take it from Gove, you should be shaking in your books, The Bruiser is after you!

Hail to the Bruiser,

To our rescue comes the warrior,

Strong, he defends us from the bullies,

A bulldog to savage them,

Attack them on their lies, their myths,

Their oppession, broken promises galore.

A gladiator to challenge them,

To fight the good fight,

Who will fight for us, never surrender,

Lets raise a toast, a toast to the BRUISER!

Shadow cabinet shockers!

Today saw the announcement as to which roles in the shadow cabinet were going to be assigned to which MP. Well there has been a big shock as the favourite to become shadow chancellor Yvette Cooper, has been made shadow foreign secretary instead, with Alan Johnson getting the prestigious post. Ed Balls has been made shadow home secretary and Andy Burnham being made shadow education secretary.

While as a newby to the politics scene, I may not have much insight as to the effectiveness of this, I personally think that Andy Burnham being made shadow education secretary is a good call, as his youthful energy not to mention his passion would be a great asset in this area and a great contrast to Michael Gove. I also think the Balls v May dynamic will be interesting to watch and as some have said on twitter that this is the “weakest political area for the coalition,” Ed Balls role in this will be crucial and his battling style will certainly keep Theresa May on her toes!

I think Ed has been very thoughtful about this, and time will tell whether this interesting combination will be enough to keep the tories to account. Let the battle begin!

Malleo Optimates

The magician conjures his team,

Gasps of shock as  he reveals the rabbits from his hat,

The bulldog ready to fight for the streets,

The northern knight defends the scholars,

His youthful energy and optimism a light in the darkness,

His wit and wisdom a greater weapon than this lance.

Dominating all is the king,

New found confidence, he grows to fill his golden throne,

The cub fully grown into the Lion,

He at the head of the table, new energy discharges,

EDWARDI PRIMI OPTIMATES MALLEUS!

(Edward the first, hammer of the conservatives!)

The fellowship of the Rose

Tonight after days of speculation, the shadow cabinet has finally been announced, with Yvette Cooper topping the vote, followed in second by John Healy and Ed Balls in third. Below is a list of all the successful candidates to the shadow cabinet:

Douglas Alexander

Ed Balls

Hilary Benn

Andy Burnham

Liam Byrne

Yvette Cooper

Mary Creagh

John Denham

Angela Eagle

Maria Eagle

Caroline Flint

John Healey

Meg Hillier

Alan Johnson

Tessa Jowell

Sadiq Khan

Ivan Lewis

Ann McKechin

Jim Murphy

I’m really pleased that my good friend Jim Murphy has got into the cabinet as from what i have seen of him, he is a really good speaker and really down to earth and has been a key supporter of the Movement for Change. Also really pleased taht Ed Balls and most of all Andy Burnham have been voted into it as they were both passionate speakers during the leadership campaign and Andy Burnham is really approachable and you can have a great conversation with him, and for me, approachablilty is a great asset! Ed Balls is a great fighter who will no doubt take the fight to the tories every step of the way!

In tributed to this, here is a poem i will write in their honour

The fellowship of the Rose

The shadow covers the land,

Trepidation lies in the air,

Injustice reigns in the darkness,

The dark one holds the people in his mercy.

Frodo choses his allies,

Blood brothers, a fellowship,

Petals of one rose,

One family to restore light to the darkness,

To restore justice to the bereft land.

To take the fight to the Dark one,

To oppose his malevolent will,

To loosen his iron grip,

To destroy his ring,

The ring used to seduce, to bind,

To control us!

 

 

Best wishes in whatever you do!

This may sound sycophantic, but quite frankly, I don’t care. Today whilst I was at work, David Miliband made most probably one of the hardest decisions he had to make and resigned from the shadow cabinet. The full letter appears on the Telegraphs website, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/8032981/David-Miliband-resigns-from-shadow-cabinet-his-letter-in-full.html#comment-82098842

but he sites his decision was based on giving Ed a chance to build the party without any distraction and that he wanted to “recharge his batteries” as a constituency MP. I don’t proffess to know David very well but from the encounters me and Liza, he is a great man, an inspiration and this hard yet noble decision is typical of the noble man! Some may see this as disloyal but in this, he puts his brother first allowing him the space to lead the party!

Ed, I implore you to become the leader we need you to be. Your brother sacrificed himself so you would have the room to become the leader we need, don’t let such a sacrifice be in vain!

Sacrifice

My love and respect for you,

You who have been scourged,

The words, the lies rip through your flesh,

The blood flows, yet you don’t falter.

You sacrifice yourself for love,

A pelican piercing its breast for its young.

“Greater love has no one than this,

that he lay down his life for his brother. “

His blood marks the doorpost, 

the Angels of death to pass over,

But he shall return one day,

He shall arise again.

David, I wish you the best for all you do, I wish you happiness and know that my respect for you will never diminish like the stars in the eternal sky!