Election catch-up: Miliband and Balls, the dysfunctional relationship at the heart of a likely Labour government

Plus your essential politics briefing from over the weekend

1. Intriguing interviews with the Labour leader and his shadow chancellor over the weekend. Ed Miliband spoke to The Observer and “showered praise on” (journalese for “was polite about”) Ed Balls. Balls spoke to the Mail on Sunday and showered praise on Miliband.

Miliband all but guaranteed Balls the job of Chancellor if there should be a Labour government. “He’s incredibly well qualified for the job.” I personally put that down as one more reason for voting Labour.

Balls was not so immediately complimentary. Did he accept that the best man won the leadership election five years ago, the Mail on Sunday asked?

“Well, I thought I was the best which is why I stood.”

Wrong answer. The Mail on Sunday tried again. Did he accept Ed Miliband was the best man to lead Labour?

“Look, I think he’s our leader and he’s the best leader we’ve got.”

Wrong answer again, with a bit of historical resonance. A third attempt. Invited to list Miliband’s qualities, Balls managed: “Long-term strategic purpose, impressive resilience, sees the best in people, values people who speak their mind. Strong people like strong people around them.”

The last three items on that list referring rather obviously to someone other than Miliband.

Both interviews were responding, I suspect, to the front-page lead story in The Times on Saturday (pay wall), which paraphrased Charles Falconer, who is advising Miliband on the transition to government as saying: “Mr Miliband wants strengthen the Downing Street machine as he seeks to assert his authority over Whitehall and the Treasury in particular.”

I am told that senior civil servants who worked with both Miliband and Balls in the last government fear that it would be “nightmare” to maintain working relations between them.

2. A Labour minority government, propped up by the Scottish National Party, seems the most likely outcome of the election at the moment. Miliband and Balls disagree about how to deal with the SNP too: Miliband thinks he could make common cause with Alex Salmond in the House of Commons; Balls, I am told, thinks Salmond is a “Tory Trot”, and that a minority Labour government should dare the SNP to vote against it.

Carl Gardner has a good post about how Miliband does not need to talk to the SNP to form a minority government, but Angela Eagle, shadow leader of the House, said that Labour would talk to all parties about getting its legislation through.

My column in The Independent on Sunday on the cult of St Nicola notes that most election outcomes would bring another attempt at Scottish independence closer.

3. The Poll of Pollsters in The Independent on Sunday showed a further slight tightening, so there is now just one seat in it. Cons 276 seats (-1 from last week), Lab 275 (+1), SNP 45, Lib Dem 26.

4. Picture of the day (right), via Anthony Kerr.

5. “You ain’t swift, moving like a tortoise, full of rigor mortis.” The Top 10 in The New Review, the Independent on Sunday magazine, is Medical Ailments in Songs.

6. Finally, thanks to Moose Allain for this:

“My kids treat this house like a bloody hotel. Yet another Gideon Bible in my bedside drawer this evening.”