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Month: March 2007

Will this allow Tony to go out on a high?

Will this allow Tony to go out on a high?

And will Devolution-Day be the moment they line up behind Brown? Following yesterday dramatic meeting between Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams it is becoming clear that Devolution Day – May 8th 2007 – will play a critical part in Tony Blair’s exit time-table. For the achievement of peace between the communities will become a major element of the Prime Minister’s legacy and provide the backdrop of his historic departure announcement. And according to the Times this morning May 8th will…

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Peter the Punter’s BrandIndex Pointers

Peter the Punter’s BrandIndex Pointers

This Week – Make Hay from Straw No surprise that we’re leading off this week with man of the moment, Jack Straw. It seems to us he suddenly has everything going for him – campaign leader, the promise of High Office and the opportunity, as a former Foreign Secretary, to pronounce weightily on the Iran crisis. He looks a snip at 76.2. Buy two points. Tony Blair’s rise in the popularity chart shows no sign of stopping. He led us…

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Did you join the great Jack Straw gamble?

Did you join the great Jack Straw gamble?

Sadly William Hill’s 6/1 price is no more Over the past thirty-six hours dozens of PB users have been putting as much cash as they can on Jack Straw as next Chancellor at what appeared to be the the very generous price of 6/1. For clearly the leader of the house and the man who has been both home and foreign secretaries under Blair is going to be rewarded with a plum position if and when Brown takes over. For…

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Did this man mount a botched coup to stop Brown?

Did this man mount a botched coup to stop Brown?

What’s behind Mandelson’s series of weekend announcements? Anybody who has followed the news over the past couple of days could not have missed the presence of the former close aide to Blair, Britain’s current commissioner at the EU, and the person that Brown is said to blame for him not getting the labour leadership in 1994. We’ve had a spate of interviews with the ex-Labour communications chief, the news of his desire to step down from his EU role in…

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Observer story prompts leadership betting moves

Observer story prompts leadership betting moves

Miliband tightens and Brown eases after reports of Blair’s backing This is the front page of the Observer this morning which has led to big changes in the Labour leadership betting. Tony Blair, according to the paper, is telling allies that if the environment secretary stands against Brown then “he would win”. According to an unnamed minister Blair said of Miliband “he really has got to want it… He really has to go for it.” The news comes on the…

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Brown replaces Blair as Britain’s most unpopular politican

Brown replaces Blair as Britain’s most unpopular politican

Peter Smith reports that Blair Backers are Beaming …again Whether or not it was his performance on Comic Relief, there is no doubt that those who followed our advice to back Blair last week were smiling all the way to the bank. The great showman continued his climb in YouGov’s Popularity poll, reaching his highest score of the year and moving ahead of his Downing Street neighbour…which gives rise to some interesting if somewhat mischievous speculation. What if Our Tone…

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Is this why there’s no chance of a CON-LD pact?

Is this why there’s no chance of a CON-LD pact?

Will Cameron’s hopes of a deal be dashed by the LD membership? In recent days the Tories have stepped up the rhetoric in their bid to win over Lib Dem supporters and also pave the way for a possible post-election working arrangement with the party. But is this doomed to fail because of the political make-up of the ultimate sovereign body within the party – the membership. The above poll finding is from a YouGov survey of 406 Lib Dem…

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More bad polling news on the budget

More bad polling news on the budget

Will there be another bonanza for Brown BrandIndex punters? Those punters who sold Brown on the IG politicians popularity market in the immediate aftermath of Wednesday’s budget speech look set to pocket another big parcel of cash as more polling has shown that the contents and the Chancellor himself have gone down badly. Rather than wait for the actual index numbers I closed my Brown positions down yesterday making this, together with the successful budget length bets, my most profitable…

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