Ed Balls has continued the preparations for post-election opposition with an attack on the Tories education policies in today’s Guardian.

This oppposition mentality is shown by the Labour Government’s policies merely form an unquestioned measuring-rod from which to evaluate the Tories.  Like any opposition with no hope of forming a government, consistency is not required. In the current circumstances, when spending needs to be squeezed, if something is raised up the list of priorities, we need to know what has fallen down the league table. In particular, those areas which are no longer required, so can be dropped. Or there might be areas can be reduced.

Unfortunately the Ballsian approach tends towards an extremist party that knows that they will never form a government when he says

“David Cameron is playing the public for fools and, frankly, the centre-left have let him get away with it too long.”

In other words, the Tories have a conspiracy to make things worse. Labour needs to expose the “truth”. 

Hat tip Dan Hannan

FOLLOW UP – John Redwood stated yesterday that

“It is pathetic that we are still stuck in this idiotic sound bite culture, where Mr Brown seriously believes he can frighten people from voting Conservative by continuing to fib that Tories want to sack teachers and nurses.His main reason for wanting Balls in place of Darling apparently was to have someone as Chancellor who would spend his time rubbishing the Opposition instead of tackling the serious productivity and deficit problems in the public sector.”

Well perhaps Ed Balls is trying to do the attacking role from his current position?