Ed Balls: My Late Gay Uncle Inspired Me to Support Gay Marriage

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Ed Balls, the Labour shadow chancellor, has said his gay uncle inspired him to support the case for same-sex marriage.

Mr Balls said he believed that homosexual couples should be able to marry in the same way as heterosexuals, with services held in churches.

In an online video recorded to back the case for same-sex marriage, Mr Balls said he drew inspiration from his late uncle.

“Twenty years ago my uncle came out in his fifties as gay - and he died, I’m afraid, before he and his long-term partner could have a civil partnership,” he said.

“In our family we would have liked him to have gone further and to have got married. It’s what he would have wanted, I believe.”

Mr Balls did not name his relative, and Labour spokesman said he would not do so in order to respect the man’s privacy. » | James Kirkup, Deputy Political Editor | Tuesday, May 29, 2012


Out4Marriage »

Let’s Not Make This Complicated! There Is But One Good Reason to Despise Ed Balls. It’s This: He Talks Balls!
>>>

Even More Balls from Ed Balls! It’s Time Mr Balls Found His Balls!
Loophole: Girls studying at a Madrasah. Ed Balls is refusing to ban smacking in Islamic schools in Britain. Photograph: Mail Online
To look at these kids dressed like this in a British school is an affront to all that we stand for and hold dear! NO CHILD, even in Islam, needs to be dressed like this in a state of prepubescence. Not even in Saudi Arabia are children expected to dress like this before puberty. It's time for you to find your balls, Mr Balls! – © Mark

MAIL ONLINE: Schools Secretary Ed Balls has been accused of refusing to ban Islamic schools from smacking children for fear of upsetting Muslim 'sensitivities'.

Mr Balls was last week urged to close a legal loophole which gives teachers in Britain's estimated 1,600 schools associated with mosques the right to smack children - even though it is banned in other schools.

He refused, prompting claims that he is allowing an alleged 'culture of physical abuse' in some of the mosque schools - or madrasahs - go unchecked.

Smacking is banned in all State and private schools. However, it does not apply to madrasahs, where pupils usually study in the evenings or at weekends, because the ban exempts schools where children attend for less than 12.5 hours per week.

Lib Dem schools spokesman David Laws, who is spearheading the campaign to close the smacking loophole, said: 'The Government needs to legislate to protect children - not leave an opt-out simply because it fears some ethnic or religious backlash.'

He was supported by Labour MP Ann Cryer, who said it would be 'bonkers' if the Government did not act. She said: 'I suspect people are frightened of upsetting the sensitivities of certain members of the Muslim faith.'

A report just over a year ago warned that madrasah students had been slapped, punched and had their ears twisted.

Irfan Chishti, a former Government adviser on Islamic affairs, said that one madrasah student was 'picked up by one leg and spun around' while another pupil said a teacher was 'kicking in my head like a football'. Double standards row as Ed Balls refuses to ban smacking at mosque schools to avoid 'upsetting Muslim sensitivities' >>> Brendan Carlin | Sunday, January 17, 2010

More Balls from Ed Balls!
TIMES ONLINE: Labour will announce today that primary school children will be able to learn Mandarin and Arabic in a bid to keep up with other countries. Labour to offer Arabic and Mandarin lessons to primary pupils >>> Joanna Sugden | Monday, January 04, 2010

Ed Balls Comes Out Fighting - for 'Racist' Islamic Schools
THE TELEGRAPH: A trustee of one of the schools which Ed Balls is defending has written in a Hizb ut Tahrir journal condemning the "corrupt western concepts of materialism and freedom," observes Andrew Gilligan.

We connoisseurs of Ed Balls, a small but happy band, know from experience that the moment he gets that complacent little smile playing round his lips is the time to set the video; the moment when Her Majesty's Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families is once more about to walk, unknowingly, into an open manhole.

Mr Balls has been having good sport with the Tories this week. On Newsnight on Wednesday, the little smile was in full operation as he expressed mock sympathy with their communities spokesman, Paul Goodman, for having to defend the "factual errors" and "irresponsible politics" of his leader, David Cameron, in the row over Islamic schools.

The Tories should have "checked their facts", he chided. Ofsted, he told Radio 4, "have satisfied themselves that there were not problems in these schools". The whole episode "casts real doubt on David Cameron's judgment", he said, sorrowfully.

Cameron had said that two schools run by members or activists of a thoroughly nasty extremist organisation, Hizb ut Tahrir, had been paid £113,000 of public money. The allegationcame from a story of mine in the Telegraph four weeks ago.

The central charge is perfectly true, thoroughly documented – and a scandal. But Cameron made some mistakes in the detail, sending the Westminster media chasing down one of their classic "process issue" cul-de-sacs (whether the schools were registered, and which particular part of the Whitehall cake this slice of cash had come from) and allowing Balls to launch his attack on Cameron. He clearly thought he'd scored a bullseye: one-nil to the forces of Gordon. >>> Andrew Gilligan | Friday, November 27, 2009

David Cameron Accused of 'Divisive Smears' Over Islamic Schools Claim
Most people tend to live up to their names. Ed Balls appears to be no exception. – © Mark
TIMES ONLINE: David Cameron was accused of using "divisive smears" by the Schools Secretary after alleging that a radical Muslim group had set up two schools with the help of public cash meant to tackle extremism.

The Tory leader claimed that the Government had been warned that the independent schools in London were being run by a “front organisation for Hizb ut Tahrir”.

Demanding an investigation from Gordon Brown, Mr Cameron said schools run by the ISF (Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation) in Slough and Haringey, London, had received £113,000 of Government money, some of which was from the Pathfinder scheme, the objective of which is meant to be preventing violent extremism. >>> Francis Elliott and Times Online | Thursday, November 26, 2009

MAIL ONLINE: Brown denies Tory claim that £100,000 of public money was given to 'Muslim extremist schools' >>> Kirsty Walker | Thursday, November 26, 2009

BNP Members Could Be Banned from Teaching
TIMES ONLINE: Teachers who join the BNP could be banished from the classroom, Ed Balls indicated today as he announced a review of rules against racism in schools.

The Schools Secretary said he considered membership of the organisation “fundamentally incompatible with the values and ethos of teaching profession”.

Mr Balls, who has been under pressure from teaching unions to impose tighter restrictions on racism in schools, has so far stopped short of following the example of the police and prison service with an outright ban on BNP membership for teachers.

But today Mr Balls said he was no longer convinced that existing rules on promoting racial equality were enough. He has asked a former Chief Inspector of Schools, Maurice Smith, to look at strengthening them. >>> Chris Smyth | Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Dhimmitude Alert! More Balls from Ed Balls!
MAIL ONLINE: The Government department headed by schools secretary Ed Balls has lavished £3million on luxury office refurbishments including a massage room, it emerged last night.

A 'contemplation suite' and an area set aside for Muslim prayer have been installed as part of a major makeover of the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Designer furniture was shipped over from Italy for the office refit, while black granite surface tops have been laid in the kitchen areas.

The most costly expense was a grand staircase made from glass and surgical steel. Its price tag is understood to have run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

A gym, four lifts, six meeting rooms with high-tech conference equipment and two cafes have plumped up the bill for the two-year project to £3m.

News of the makeover comes as Mr Balls prepares to cut £2billion from the country's schools budget, meaning jobs will be slashed across the education system. Ed Balls spends £3m on office makeover... including massage room and Muslim prayer area >>> Fay Schlesinger | Monday, September 28, 2009

Mo Balls from Ed Balls!
MAIL Online: The Roman Catholic Church has severely criticised a proposed new code of conduct for teachers which it says will force Christian schools to actively promote Islam and gay rights.

The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has warned the General Teaching Council, by the professional regulatory body, that many teachers will quit the profession because they will not be able to accept the revised code of conduct in good conscience.

Their advisers say the code would also seriously undermine the religious character of church schools by imposing on them a hostile form of secular morality.

The legally-binding code would discriminate against Christian teachers in recruitment and in the classroom, they say.

Principle 4 of the code demands that teachers ‘proactively challenge discrimination’ and ‘promote equality and value diversity in all their professional relationships and interactions’ before they can be registered.

It means that campaigners can complain if teachers fail to observe the new demands and that teachers and schools can be punished if a complaint is upheld.

Oona Stannard, head of the Catholic Education Service, an agency of the bishops’ conference, told the GTC in a written submission that ‘there was an understandable fear that the call to “proactively challenge discrimination” could be used to oppose faith schools per se, and the rights that they have in law, for example, to select leaders who are of the faith’.

‘This anxiety extends similarly to the direction to “promote equality”,’ Miss Stannard said.

‘It would be unacceptable to expect anyone to be required to promote something contrary to their own faith beliefs and, indeed, it would not be possible for a person of faith to promote another faith – this is a matter of conscience.’ Catholic Church Slams New Code of Conduct Forcing Teachers to Promote Islam and Gay Rights >>> By Simon Caldwell | Monday, March 2, 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback) – Free delivery >>>

Ed Balls: Minister Fears Rise of Fascism Amid Economic Gloom
Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
The economic crisis could spark a resurgence in the Far Right, a close ally of Gordon Brown has suggested.

Ed Balls, the Children's and Schools Secretary, said the downturn was likely to be the most serious for 100 years, and his comments appeared to raise the prospect of a return to the Far Right politics of the 1930s and the rise of Facism.

His warning, in a speech to activists at the weekend, came after a trade union baron warned that far right parties were trying to hijack the campaign for "British jobs for British workers".

The row over foreign workers has gathered momentum in recent weeks and Mr Balls seemed to suggest the recession could trigger a return to the Far Right politics that prospered in the Great Depression of the 1930s.

He told Labour's Yorkshire conference: "The economy is going to define our politics in this region and in Britain in the next year, the next five years, the next 10 and even the next 15 years.

"I think that this is a financial crisis more extreme and more serious than that of the 1930s and we all remember how the politics of that era were shaped by the economy."

The remarks are significant because Mr Balls was a key adviser to Mr Brown during his decade at the Treasury as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Mr Balls said that he believed this to be "the most serious global recession for over 100 years".

He said: "We now are seeing the realities of globalisation, though at a speed, pace and ferocity which none of us have seen before. The reality is that this is becoming the most serious global recession for, I'm sure, over 100 years as it will turn out."

Last week Derek Simpson, the general secretary of Unite, gave warning that far right elements were hijacking a campaign against foreign firms bringing in non-British workers.

He said: "We are deeply concerned that other organisations like the BNP are latching onto the movement for their own racist agenda." >>> By Christopher Hope, Whitehall Editor | Tuesday, February 10, 2009

THE INDEPENDENT: 'This Is the Worst Recession for Over 100 Years'

Ed Balls, the PM's closest ally, warns that downturn is ferocious and says impact will last 15 years

Britain is facing its worst financial crisis for more than a century, surpassing even the Great Depression of the 1930s, one of Gordon Brown's most senior ministers and confidants has admitted.

In an extraordinary admission about the severity of the economic downturn, Ed Balls even predicted that its effects would still be felt 15 years from now. The Schools Secretary's comments carry added weight because he is a former chief economic adviser to the Treasury and regarded as one of the Prime Ministers's closest allies.

Mr Balls said yesterday: "The reality is that this is becoming the most serious global recession for, I'm sure, over 100 years, as it will turn out."

He warned that events worldwide were moving at a "speed, pace and ferocity which none of us have seen before" and banks were losing cash on a "scale that nobody believed possible".

The minister stunned his audience at a Labour conference in Yorkshire by forecasting that times could be tougher than in the depression of the 1930s, when male unemployment in some cities reached 70 per cent. He also appeared to hint that the recession could play into the hands of the far right. >>> By Nigel Morris, Deputy Political Editor, and Sean O'Grady, Economics Editor | Tuesday, February 10, 2009

BNP: And What Does the ‘Far-right’ Have to Say about the Financial Crisis?


The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback) – Free delivery >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback) – Free delivery >>>

A Load of Balls from Ed Balls! Now Young Muslims Will Get Direct Access to Cabinet Ministers!
Photo of Ed Balls courtesy of the Daily Express. He believes that Muslims are often “greatly misrepresented”.
It’s high time for this ridiculous, dangerous government to be put out to graze! The bloody lot of them! This government clearly believes in rewarding the trouble-makers, while it assiduously ignores the good people in the community who just go about their daily lives without causing trouble. In the new Britain, it seems that the more noise a community makes, the more attention it gets, the more money is thrown at them, the more concessions they get. As the old saying goes: It’s the sqeaking gate that gets the oil.

The fact that Islam is trying to destroy Western civilization, only to replace it with a dark-age mentality and barbarism seems totally to have passed these tossers by.

Gordon, your colour is YELLOW! And it's the colour of all those who serve you. - ©Mark

DAILY EXPRESS: YOUNG Muslims will get direct access to Cabinet Ministers in a £1.3million “community cohesion” initiative, it emerged yesterday.

The new Young Muslim Advisory group is the brainchild of Children’s Secretary Ed Balls and Communities Secretary Hazel Blears.

But a row erupted last night over the appointment to it of a member of the Socialist Worker Party.

Also, the Government was forced to admit that there were no similar groups for Christians, Jews or Hindus.

Tory cohesion spokeswoman Baroness Sayeeda Warsi blasted the group as yet another example of Labour’s “state multiculturalism” which she said fostered a “divided Britain”.

Outrage centred on the appointment of Sabiha Iqbal, 17, to the group.

She is a member of the tiny Trotskyite sect that has “expressed solidarity” with Hezbollah terrorists, while trying to forge links with hardline British Muslims.

Ms Iqbal, from Bradford, is studying at Leeds university.

Last night Ms Blears defended inviting her appointment. She said: “If you don’t want to change the world at 17, that’s a shame. This group is made up of people with a wide range of beliefs. Getting them around a table to talk is all about democracy in action.”

Mr Balls said he had hope for Ms Iqbal as a “role model”. Ms Iqbal believes Muslims are often “greatly misrepresented” and says she wants to support a diverse community through “understanding, acceptance and empathy”. Muslims Get £1.3m Hotline to Cabinet >>> By Gabriel Milland, Political Correspondent | October 8, 2008

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