This session with new CON hire, Jim Messina, is well worth watching
If he can do for CON a fraction of what he did for Obama it could be decisive
How do the Tories balance their electoral coalition?
Is the immigration debate symptomatic of a larger problem? The furore that has blown up among those who’ve noticed the two news stories connected to immigration this week is a good example of the problems the Conservatives face in winning an outright majority at the next election. On one level, the challenge is not too difficult, despite the boundary review not being completed. If the economy continues to recover, with either living standards improving or at least the prospect of…
Night hawks is now open
Home of the web’s best political conversation Why not relax, and converse into the night on the day’s events in PB NightHawks. If you’re a lurker, why not delurk tonight, Everyone’s a winner if you do delurk. The round up of recent events (click on the links below, and it will bring up the relevant story) Gove or May as Tory leader? No, Boris is still the grassroots’ favourite – and by a country mile Exclusive polling shows that Boris Johnson…
LAB lead moves from 5pc to 11pc with Populus online
The “ever so stable poll” ain’t any longer Above in the chart are the figures for today’s Populus online poll which show a big change on Monday’s survey. As can be seen the Tories are down 5 and UKIP up 4. I asked the firm whether there have been any weighting or other methodological changes which might explain such a big shift in such a short period of time. The response I got from Rick Nye is below:- “No. But…
Farage’s locals strategy takes a knock as it loses more of the seats won in May
LAB has put huge effort into taking back #Thetford W from UKIP – a seat they lost by 1 vote on May 2. See pic.twitter.com/jfbKfhKFzG — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) August 1, 2013 Tonight's results mean that UKIP has lost every seat won on May 2nd which they have had to defend in a by-election — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) August 1, 2013 But it’s not all been negative for the purples It might be August but it’s been a big night of…
Harry Hayfield’s local by-election preview : August 1st 2013
Codnor and Waingroves on Amber Valley (Lab Defence) Last Local Election (2012): Con 24, Lab 21 (Conservative overall majority of 3) Ward Results (during last electoral cycle) 2010: Lab 1,159 (43%), Con 1,127 (42%), BNP 391 (15%) 2011: No Election 2012: Lab 825 (58%), Con 339 (24%), UKIP 198 (14%), BNP 59 (4%) In the 1970 general election, one sight above all showed what a shock result that election was for Harold Wilson, Belper (a seat that in 1966 had…
Harry Hayfield previews today’s Ynys Môn Assembly By-Election
It’s been quite a while since we have had an Assembly by-election (in fact well over seven years), but Ynys Môn is a by-election without compare. Firstly, the former member is still with us. Ieuan Wyn Jones may have resigned from the Assembly but as the new chairman of the enterprise zone centred on Menai Bridge, who is to say that once that task has been completed he might decide to come back to the Assembly on the regional list…
Survation poll finds strong support for keeping East Coast main line in public sector
By 58% to 21% those sampled in new Survation poll want the East Coast main line to stay in public ownership pic.twitter.com/aDF8XhuJuw — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) August 1, 2013 The poll gave two options is this form:- The East Coast Main Line should remain in public ownership, as it is now better run than it was when privatised and is returning profits to the Treasury The East Coast Main Line should now go back to being privatised like other rail…