"So what"

Ed Balls cry of "So what" when David Cameron said that "We have the highest tax burden in our history" may come to define this Labour Government's attitude to the ordinary UK tax payers. "So what" if you have to pay more tax, "so what" if your pension is reduced in value because of our first budget, "so what" if your cost of living is going up by 6%, 7% or 8% whilst the "preferred" government inflation rate is 2%, "so what" if your council tax has doubled in 10 years whilst the services have reduced; "so what". Well I have an answer for the Minister for children, and I think that is a little pithier than David Cameron's "I know he's Minister for children but he doesn't have to behave like one" that he used later in his speech.


It is from the Anti-Nowhere League's song entitled "So What", a fine punk song with somewhat "salty" lyrics -

"So what, so what you boring little c***
Well who cares, who cares what you do
Who cares, who cares about you
You, you, you"


Most bizarrely, and I had forgotten this, "So What" includes a sheep and goat reference.



Now I heard John Pienaar try and spin it that Ed Balls actually said "swot" and I hear that John Pienaar later changed that to "so weak". It would be interesting to see what Hansard says tomorrow, although you should bear in mind that whoever speaks the words is allowed to change any "mistakes" to reflect what he meant to say - how else could any of John Prescott's speeches ever have been reported and still made sense.


UPDATE:

Thanks to Guido Fawkes here are the two bits of video referred to above.




As predicted Hansard shows Ed Balls as not saying "So what", but see my explanation above...

Hansard reports the exchange thus:

"The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (Ed Balls): So weak!

Mr. Cameron: “So what?” says the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families. I know he wants to be Chancellor so badly it hurts. I have to tell him that another Budget like the one we have just heard and he will not have to wait very long."