Alan Johnson resigns from ShadCab

[Silent Hunter]

For "personal reasons".

Not a huge surprise; he's made a large number of gaffes.

[afleitch]

I hope he is okay and the personal reasons are not health reasons.

[Insula Dei]

So, will Balls be a big improvement?

Personally, I'd say yes as he is the one who has been most vocally opposing the Tory logic behind the cuts as well as one of the few Labour politicians who appeared to have what it took to formulate a Labour alternative, whereas Johnson and Milliband seemed to be going along with the coalition's defence of the cuts or at the very least seemed to be less viciously attacking them. So, probably Balls will hurt the Coalition more than Johnson, if he manages to avoid a 1980s scenario, where the Tory press manage to paint him as a Hardleft madman.

It's a shame Ed didn't go with his wife though, as she would have been the best choice for the position IMO.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Not a huge surprise; he's made a large number of gaffes.

He has done but the media seem (from what little I've read; only just got back from Caernarfon like a few minutes ago) to be taken the thing about 'personal reasons' more seriously than they usually do. Yeah, well, if that's the case I hope it's not health related as well.

Anyways, this has sparked a mini-reshuffle at the top, as this sort of thing is wont to do. Ed Balls as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Yvette Cooper as Shadow Home Secretary, Douglas Alexander as Shadow Foreign Secretary. Other changes as well, obvs.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Basically it seems that his marriage broke down and not in an especially pleasant way. I suppose that this also counts as yet another police scandal.

Certain, how shall we say... lurid, rumours spread all over the internets earlier today and don't seem to be at all true. Assuming that things stay like that, it would be nice if those responsible apologised and refused to knowingly peddle false rumours again, but then it would also be nice if Sunderland won the league.