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Does this have wider implications?

Does this have wider implications?

What might this mean for Michigan and the Presidential campaigns? Thirty-four-years-and-a-day since Richard Nixon resigned the presidency, the most serious political scandal of 2008 is reaching its peak, and rather refreshingly it doesn’t directly involve either candidate in the White House race. Kwame Kilpatrick, the Mayor of Detroit, is tonight sat in jail, having breached his bail conditions by taking a trip to Canada. The 38-year-old Mayor, once considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, is facing eight indictments,…

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Vote for your Top Ten Political Blogs

Vote for your Top Ten Political Blogs

Give your favourite blogs the recognition they deserve The new Total Politics magazine is compiling an annual guide to political blogging in the UK, and are running a competition to find the UK’s top 100 political blogs. Full details can be found here, but the basics are as follows: 1) Choose your top 10 (must be 10) from the Total Politics blog directory 2) Number them in order, with #1 being your favourite and so forth 3) Send them, along…

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Following in Golda’s footsteps?

Following in Golda’s footsteps?

Could Tzipi Livni become Israel’s first woman PM since Golda Meir? Ehud Olmert, mired in corruption allegations, announced earlier this week that he would not contest September’s Kadima leadership primary. With a weak mandate to start with (just 29 seats and 22% of the vote in 2006), the Lebanon war, unpopularity to rival Gordon Brown’s, and the recent investigations, he will leave office as one of the shortest-serving PMs since the creation of Israel in 1948, although should his efforts…

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In the Sunday papers

In the Sunday papers

The main polling news on the big drop in Lib Dem support in the latest ICM survey is covered in the previous post. The Mail on Sunday, Sunday Telegraph, and Observer all strongly feature the leaked memo containing Blair’s thoughts on Brown. Fullest coverage is in the Mail, which received the leaked memo, written in the aftermath of the Labour conference last autumn. ‘There has been a lamentable confusion of tactics and strategy. Tactically, it was thought clever to define…

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Will this man wield the knife?

Will this man wield the knife?

What role does John Hutton have yet to play? It was Michael Heseltine who famously remarked on his own failed bid to become Prime Minister that “He who wields the knife will never wear the crown”. This oft-repeated dictum has since played its part in preventing leadership coups, by tempering the ambition of those who would otherwise seek to overthrown their leader. This week saw fevered speculation, first Jack Straw posing for photos in the Sunday Papers, then Harriet Harman…

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How much does military service count?

How much does military service count?

What is the impact of a nominee for POTUS having worn the uniform? “To err is human; to forgive, divine. Neither is the stated policy of the United States Marine Corps.” During the final stages of the primary season, when McCain was already the presumptive nominee but Clinton and Obama were still fighting their way to the Democratic nomination, I commented that the three candidates were all suited to different variants of the job. Rather glibly, I suggested that I…

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So what happens next?

So what happens next?

The Prime Minister’s on his way in Israel – how long has the British one got left? Please continue your discussions here – click on the picture for the full article. Double Carpet

Is Labour really in danger of extinction?

Is Labour really in danger of extinction?

“This is less a leadership crisis and more a crisis of existence” In the midst of all the speculation about the Labour leadership, with “Cameron only” now favourite on the next election leaders market, there’s an interesting piece by Iain Martin in the Telegraph today. He argues that a key mistake Labour made was devolving power to Scotland and Wales and thus giving the nationalists credibility in Labour’s “Celtic redoubt”. “Endangered in England’s largest cities, losers in London, out of…

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