Is Ed Miliband so scared of his rivals that he made a man with no knowledge of economics Shadow Chancellor?

The UK is in dire financial straits so does Ed Miliband appoint as his Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls who for all his faults, and he has many, does at least understand some economics theory? No, he does not. Does he appoint Yvette Cooper who has previously served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury? No, he does not. Instead he picks Alan Johnson, a man who when interviewed last night said that his first task would be to pick up a book called "Economics for Beginners." Apparently aremed with that book he could "read into the job. You read, you talk to people and you study". Hmm good luck with that, I studied four years of economics and I doubt that I would have been ready to challenge the Chancellor of the Exchequer. So apart from intoning tribal arguments and opposing 'evil Tory cuts' what will Alan Johnson be capable of doing?

Surely Ed Miliband could see these problems, he's not stupid although he is terribly misguided. So why Alan Johnson? The Mirror claims that

'His appointment surprised the party but sources said he was Mr Miliband's first choice to take on the Chancellor.

The leader believes his wit, personality and working-class background make him the perfect opposition for privately educated George "Gideon" Osborne, son of a baronet with a multimillion trust fund, on the economy.'

Actually do read the whole of The Mirror's article, I had forgotten how nasty a newspaper The Mirror was - there is no crime bigger than being rich or well-educated or especially having notable ancestors.

Does The Mirror and Ed Miliband really think that a man who left school at 15, stacked shelves at Tesco before becoming a postman at 18 and who's only experience of te real world is Trade Union and then Labour Party politics is ideally suited to be Shadow Chancellor? maybe the key factor behind Alan Johnson's appointment is that whilst He joined the Labour Party in 1971, he apparently considered himself a Marxist thus ideologically aligned with the Communist Party of Great Britain. Ah another 'ex-Communist'...

So has Ed Miliband looked around for someone who has already declared himself not interested in becoming Prime Minister to be his Shadow Chancellor? Is Ed Miliband so scared of Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper that he would prefer someone with no knowledge of economics to be his Shadow Chancellor? Or is it worse than we thought and Alan Johnson's tuition in economics is going to come from a former Chancellor with time on his hands - Gordon Brown?