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Month: July 2004

Bring Back the Great British By-Election?

Bring Back the Great British By-Election?

Where’s the 2004 version of the late Vincent Hanna? We very much agree with the lament by the Guardian political writer, Michael White, this week. Byelections are not the thriving political industry they used to be. No more rowdy public meetings, no daily press conferences where the candidates were made to squirm by the BBC’s legendary Vincent Hannah. There are not many byelections anyway. MPs no longer routinely die in harness. How things are different ahead of next week’s Birmingham…

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Market Movers in the US and UK

Market Movers in the US and UK

It’s an indication of how far John Kerry has come that betting prices on the Democrats taking the White House have more than halved, and those on the Republicans have more than doubled, since the start of the year when the long process of selecting a nominee began. Following yesterday’s announcement about John Edwards being the running mate there’s been a further hardening of the John Kerry odds which are very close to evens on both sides of the Atlantic….

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Kerry price hardens after V-P announcement

Kerry price hardens after V-P announcement

John Edwards on the ticket pushes Kerry price towards evens Today’s news that the North Carolina Senator, John Edwards, will be John Kerry’s running mate for the Presidential election on November 2nd has led to big money going on the Deomcrats with consquential price changes. The move is not a surprise and the Edwards price had been the favourite for months after his excellent performance in the primaries. One or two UK bookmakers still have Kerry at 11/10 but all…

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Do you wear one of these?

Do you wear one of these?

Updated 5.30pm Do you know when the Tories last won a seat from another party in a by-election? It’s a reflection of the Tory’s appalling performance at parliamentary by-elections over the decades that the only people who might know the answer to this are the “political anoraks”. Sadly we are part of that group! You have to go back to June 3 1982, in the raified political atmosphere of the Falklands War, for the Merton, Mitcham and Morden by-election which…

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Monday Call – July 5 2004

Monday Call – July 5 2004

Updated 1235 Online by-election betting now available The Government’s tactic of giving the minimum possible notice for the Leicester South and Birmingham Hodge Hill by-elections has meant that the media, and the bookmakers have yet to wake up to their huge significance. But William Hill now have markets on both by-elections available online. After an intensive week of campaigning many Lib Dems are now talking about a double – taking both seats. This would have huge consequences for both Tony…

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What’s going on at William Hill?

What’s going on at William Hill?

Online Market on Leicester South is opened – and then closed After days of waiting William Hill opened their online market on the Leicester South by-election today and then, a short time later they withdrew it. This is the page you get now on the event. This is the page you got earlier in the day. We are trying to clarify the position but we can only assume that so much money was going on one of the “runners” that…

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Putting the by-elections to the Google test

Putting the by-elections to the Google test

Which party is dominating the web? Those who bet on politics on the internet are going to have to wait a day or so before markets on the Leicester South and Birmingham Hodge Hill by-elections are available online but we are assured that they will be there. The latest odds are:- Leicester South- LIBD 6/5: LAB 6/4: CON 11/4 Birmingham Hodge Hill – LAB 8/13: LIBD 11/8: CON 10/1 Meanwhile political gamblers might want to assess the political party machines…

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“None of the above” – 7/2 second favourite for V-P choice

“None of the above” – 7/2 second favourite for V-P choice

John Kerry – Keeping them Guessing With just over three weeks to go before the Democratic Convention in Boston there’s speculation that the certain nominee, John Kerry, will announce who he has chosen as his running mate so the the two can appear together at an important fundraiser in New York on Thursday. Interest in who will be chosen is building because the polls still have him and Bush neck and neck. The handover of power in Iraq has had…

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