Will Ed Balls have his “Portillo moment”?

I stayed up, as I intend to again tonight, watching the election results in 1997. I saw Michael Portillo lose his seat to the odious, and so far ineffective Stephen Twigg. He lost his seat with dignity and honour, and has gone on to better things.

He has written of the experience, and of life since in today’s Guardian, and has offered Balls some advice he would be well advised to heed.

As we reported yesterday, the Sunlight Centre has produced a little infomercial about Mr. Balls, and if you haven’t seen it, then I recommend you do. The contrast with his Tory opponent Antony Calvert in Morley and Outwood could hardly be greater.

Ed Balls has a notional majority of 9,000 in the newly-created Morley & Outwood constituency. Notional is the right word, the seat was created after boundary changes, and in local council elections over the last 2 years Labour has polled badly, even coming fourth on occasion.

The national swing against Labour, as indicated by the polls, means Balls’ notional lead is likely to more negligible than 9,000, and Antony Calvert is fighting an superb campaign; look how his “Balls Moment” and Castration Strategy advert has caught the imagination of the media and the blogosphere. If any voters in Morley & Outwood want to have one of the Prime Mentalist’s closest henchmen do a “Portillo” was defeated, they should vote tactically for Antony Calvert.

Calvert has a lot going for him:

Local man, brought up on a housing estate in Wrenthorpe
Son of an electrical trader
Has worked in the past on the bottling line at the Coca-Cola factory in Wakefield, and as a warehouseman at Morrisons distribution centre.

Ed Balls:

Odious creep, perceived as the unpopular Prime Mentalist’s toady
Not local
Public School educated
Expenses trougher

Right now, the bookies have Balls and Calvert neck-and-neck for the seat.

Quentin Letts had a lovely take on this yesterday, and the Daily Politics show had some fun with it too:

Come on voters of Morley & Outwood! Vote Calvert and castrate Labour! Make my night! (I have the fizz on ice…)