U-Turn Balls(up?)

Story so far

Nearly choked over my corn-flakes Saturday morning as I listened to Ed Balls, Labour Party Shadow Chancellor, saying that he now supported the Coalition Government's freeze in public sector pay cuts and would continue them if Labour wins the next election.

This U-Turn comes after 18 months of telling the Government its economic policy is wrong. Of course, that came after the previous (his) Labour Government presided over the largest growth in public debt for two generations and basically beggared the nation.

So what?

So what's this got to do with Brand? Simply this - Credibility, or rather lack of.

A strong brand is a consistent one.

And to make this even worse, he justified the U-Turn by saying that he needed to be seen as honest. At that I nearly threw the marmalade pot at the radio.

So, let's just take a quick look at what we expect of our politicians:

• To keep us safe and reasonably prosperous
• Honesty - at least admitting when they've got things wrong
• Consistency - we lose trust when people keep changing their views
• Humility - we do not like being talked down to

And if a politician does this - they've got a Brand we can believe in.

Sadly, Brand Balls doesn't tick any of the above boxes!

By contrast

Hats off (or should that be bonnets off) to Alex Salmond, leader of the Scottish National Party, SNP, and Scotland's 1st minister.

After his party's resounding 2011 polls victory he's been building the Independence Brand and staked his claim on holding a referendum in 2014.

Why 2014? Salmond claims it's to give time for a full debate, others say it's to enable him to build support for independence, currently only 30%.

But it's also the 700th anniversary of the historic 1314 Battle on Bannockburn when the Scots trounced the English.

Even though Salmond denies using the anniversary, it's too good to miss, isn't it? I don't believe in coincidence like that, do you?