BBC News Will voters still not get it? The day’s big political news has been David Cameron’s speech setting out more of his ideas for what was a key part of the Tory election campaign – “The Big Society”. It hardly moved opinion in April and after listening to his speech today I am not much wiser. The trouble is that the words themselves are almost meaningless. My guess is that the political motive is to try move on from…
The numbers attached to each of the contenders are from the main Labour party site which is producing regular updates. I think that they are a little bit behind on TU endorsements. Candidate Best bookmaker price Betfair back Betfair lay David Miliband 4/7 Betfred 1.61 1.62 Ed Miliband 5/2 Paddy Power 3.75 3.8 Ed Balls 14/1 Ladbrokes 15 16 Andy Burnham 33/1 Betfred 38 50 Diane Abbott 50/1 Ladbrokes 90 120 Links – Ladbrokes; PaddyPower My main betting during the…
Alexander Drake previews the 21st August Australian election Australia has just started its 2010 election campaign, with the big day on Saturday 21 August. Much has happened in Australian politics since I last wrote an article for PB.com in the lead up to the 2007 federal election. Since then: For much of the 2007-2010 parliamentary term, Kevin Rudd enjoyed stellar heights of polling popularity for an unusually long period of time; The Liberal Party, having lost its long-term leader John…
Could the FPTP winner lose to the least unpopular? Just on the boat sailing back from Spain and we have internet access at last. Online again after more than 20 hours – how did I cope?? A key political moment when everybody returns from their holidays will be on the afternoon of Saturday September 25th when the results of Labour’s prolonged leadership contest are announced. This could be important not just for the opening of a new chapter in the…
The May 2010 Circulation figures Newspaper May figures Year on change (%) The Sun 2,936,099 -1.61 Daily Mail 2,096,074 -3.86 Daily Mirror 1,238,145 -6.57 Daily Star 822,934 -2.11 Daily Express 663,627 -7.79 Daily Telegraph 698,456 -16.49 The Times 515,379 -12.82 Financial Times 399,862 -2.69 The Guardian 300,472 -10.47 The Independent 194,501 -4.85 Have we got out of the habit of paying for news?
“…The Observer has discovered widespead evidence of a Faustian pact between political parties, with candidates on all sides using ingenious ruses to keep declared expenses below the limit. Some candidates claimed to have begun their campaigns half way through April, although Prime Minister John Major had fired the starting pistol on 17 March. Large amounts of money were spent on techniques such as telephone canvassing, sending free videos to first-time voters and touring on campaign buses. But this appeared on…
Can Labour gain outright control in Cardiff in May? Of all the UK’s various assemblies and parliaments, the Welsh one has probably made least impact on the London-based media and consequently, on the wider national consciousness. As an example, ask yourself if you can remember who the First Minister is, now that Rhodri Morgan has retired from the job. As with Scotland and Northern Ireland, Wales will go to the polls next Spring and there’s a strong likelihood that it…
Who will be the next to leave the cabinet? Betting on cabinet casualties is punting for the brave, the stupid or someone with inside information. So if you are a Cabinet Minister’s secret lover, you can probably skip this post. Brave and stupid punters – read on. Paddy Power is the only conventional bookmaker with prices at the moment. As you can see, not all ministers are quoted, note that market does not apply to a ministerial reshuffle or a…