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Month: February 2011

YES to AV opens up a 10 point lead with ComRes

YES to AV opens up a 10 point lead with ComRes

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Latest AV referendum polls Date YES % NO % Question wording ComRes/Indy on Sunday 10/02/11 40 (+4) 30 (nc) Actual wording on the ballot YouGov/Sun 07/02/11 38 (+6) 39 (-2) Bespoke wording – referring to the fact that this is a proposal from the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition Angus Reid/ 25/01/11 37 21 Actual wording on the ballot ICM/Guardian 19/12/10 44 38 Actual wording on the ballot And Labour moves up further with ComRes online Poll/publication Date CON % LAB %…

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Should Iain Gray offer the Scottish Lib Dems a lifeline?

Should Iain Gray offer the Scottish Lib Dems a lifeline?

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A guest slot by Lucien Fletcher With opinion polls suggesting that Labour will perform well in the Scottish Parliament elections on May 5th, the party will have a great opportunity to move on from a difficult couple of years. The party should retain its hold on the National Assembly for Wales, make strong gains in English local authorities and regain power in the Scottish Parliament. Unless all opinion polls are utterly wrong in Scotland, Labour will be comfortably the largest…

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How the coalition plans to beat the filibuster

How the coalition plans to beat the filibuster

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Are MPs and peers about to lose their half term holiday? The whole effort by Labour peers to filibuster the AV referendum and constituencies bill has been driven by the apparent need for the legislation to be in place by next Wednesday to meet the May 5th election date. For there’s a legal requirement that there has to be 10 weeks between a measure for a referendum getting the royal assent and the date of the election. But as Michael…

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Tories up Labour down in new Angus Reid poll

Tories up Labour down in new Angus Reid poll

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Poll Date CON % LAB % LD % Angus Reid/Politicalbetting 10/02/11 34 40 11 Angus Reid/Sunday Express 28/01/11 32 43 11 Angus Reid/Politicalbetting 25/01/11 33 41 12 Angus Reid/ 06/01/11 35 40 12 Angus Reid/ 20/12/10 35 41 9 Angus Reid/ 29/11/10 35 40 13 Angus Reid/ 28/10/10 35 37 15 Angus Reid/Sunday Express 01/10/10 35 38 16 Is this a blip or a reversal of the trend? After a start to 2011 that has seen all the polling momentum…

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Does social democracy have a future?

Does social democracy have a future?

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A special guest slot by Sean Fear Social Democracy has been the dominant political philosophy in Western Europe for the past 50 years or so, and has been influential in the rest of the Western World over the same period. A political philosophy is dominant when even its opponents are obliged to accept its fundamental beliefs, in order to get elected. Essentially, Social Democrats (unlike more traditional Socialists) believe that there is no need for governments to take direct control…

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What are the implications of “votes for prisoners”?

What are the implications of “votes for prisoners”?

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Where will the fallout from yesterday’s vote end? If the overwhelming vote in the Commons against prisoners being granted the vote is unsurprising, it is so only because in choosing between reflecting the views of the country and setting up a clash with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), they opted for the former despite the can of worms that could open up. In the past, politicians have tended to opt for a ‘hands tied’ defence. In the short…

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Is the Egyptian crisis moving to a close?

Is the Egyptian crisis moving to a close?

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BBC news But will Mubarak really stand down? The big world story tonight is the Egyptian crisis which looks as though it might be in its final stages. Reports are coming out that Mubarak is about to stand down – but could this just be another ploy to buy more time. The next 24 hours could be critical. Mike Smithson