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Month: November 2008

Is he just keeping the seat warm for Davis?

Is he just keeping the seat warm for Davis?

Why hasn’t Dominic Grieve been a bit more high profile? It’s not often that a new government in Europe leads one to the Conservative frontbench, but another Grand Coalition will take office in Austria early next week, and as with the previous government, it’s headed up by a Social Democrat Chancellor while the conservative People’s Party holds the remaining big posts of Finance, Foreign Affairs and the Interior Ministry. With the “comparative politics hat” firmly affixed, a UK equivalent of…

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In the Sunday papers

In the Sunday papers

Cameron – “this is a watershed moment”: Brown must speak out How will Clegg’s aeroplane comments play in the Lib Dems? Writing in the News of the World, David Cameron calls on the PM to “make his opinions clear” on the Green arrest. “…does he think it is right for an MP who has apparently done nothing to breach our national security to have his home and office searched by a dozen counter-terrorist police officers, his phone, BlackBerry and computers…

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Mori give Conservatives a boost

Mori give Conservatives a boost

CONSERVATIVES 43% (+3) LABOUR 32% (-5) LIB DEMS 15% (+3) Mori jumps from 3-point lead to 11-point lead According to comments on the previous thread, Sky News is reporting that in tomorrow’s Observer newspaper, Ipsos Mori have a new poll which is startlingly different to their previous offering, which famously reduced the Tory lead to three points. Their latest poll is far more in line with what we have seen recently from other pollsters, such as yesterday’s ICM. With the…

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What are the betting implications of ‘Green-gate’?

What are the betting implications of ‘Green-gate’?

Does Sir Hugh Orde benefit the most? Paddy Power (who else) are running a market on who is going to be appointed the next permanent Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service. The two clear favourites for the job, according to media sources, were Sir Paul Stephenson (the Deputy Commissioner, and currently Acting Commissioner following Sir Ian Blair’s departure yesterday) and Sir Hugh Orde (the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland). After the debacle of police officers from…

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Who will bear the brunt of ‘Green-gate’?

Who will bear the brunt of ‘Green-gate’?

A Special Comment… If kind readers will indulge me in the absence of Our Genial Host, I found myself last night watching Keith Olbermann’s recent ‘Special Comment’ segments – usually a combination of unashamedly personal analysis and self-righteous ranting, variously covering California’s Proposition 8, the death of Habeas Corpus, and most famously the Geraldine Ferraro comments about Barack Obama. Looking at ‘Green-gate’ (as some immutable law of reporting would have us call it), I couldn’t help but imagine: What Would…

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ICM has the Tories 15% ahead

ICM has the Tories 15% ahead

CONSERVATIVES 45% (+3) LABOUR 30% (-1) LIB DEMS 18% (-1) Which post PBR survey do you believe? The fieldwork took place before the Green case blew up but after the YouGov survey that we saw on Wednesday. This will give a big boost to the Tories and on these figures the party would be returned with a near landslide majority. ICM’s methodology is more favourable to the Lib Dems of any of the pollsters and this is having a big…

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Has Mumbai come to the Government’s aid?

Has Mumbai come to the Government’s aid?

One of the things you quickly learn in the news business is that no story has intrinsic merit in itself. Everything is dependent on what else is going on when a new development comes on the scene. So Cameron must be feeling a little frustrated this morning that his big attack on the government over the Damian Green arrest has been totally eclipsed by events in India. It’s tough – there’s really nothing the Tories can do about it. The…

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So who had ‘prior knowledge’?

So who had ‘prior knowledge’?

Who knew Damien Green was about to be arrested? BORIS JOHNSON, MAYOR OF LONDON, KNEW “The Mayor of London has expressed grave concern over the arrest of Conservative frontbencher, Damian Green. Boris johnson, who chairs the Metropolitan Police Authority expressed his concerns – in trenchant terms – ahead of his arrest. A spokesman said the Mayor finds it hard to believe that on the day when terrorist have gone on the rampage in India that anti terror police in Britain…

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