Wikimedia Commons “Your turf accountant… doesn’t have a clue” Amongst all the articles about Brown and Obama today there’s this piece by Alan Watkins in the Independent. [The odds] are largely made up – to begin with, at any rate. I once talked at length to a representative of one of our largest bookmaking firms, who specialised in political betting. It was, he explained, a very small part of their turnover. They did it for the sake of the publicity,…
Grim reading for Gordon today – is the endgame finally approaching? The newspapers are dominated by moves to unseat the Prime Minister – with the battle lines for the succession being drawn up between Jack Straw’s “Lancashire Mafia” and the Miliband/Burnham/Purnell “Primrose Hill Pact”. The Independent reports that Andy Burnham and James Purnell, in echoes of the Granita deal, will give David Miliband a free run for the leadership in the event of a contest, allowing him to emerge as…
Why are Mike Huckabee and Bill Richardson no longer being touted for VP? Today’s front page of the Wall Street Journal leads with claims that both Obama and McCain are about to announce their VP choices in the coming week. They give a list of prospective candidates on the ‘Narrow List’ that everyone here will be familiar with from our discussions. For McCain, Governors Pawlenty (MN), Crist (FL) and Palin (AK) join Carly Fiorina (CEO of HP), fmr Governor Mitt…
Has Hillary’s loss helped future female Presidential hopefuls? I’ll start with a controversial premise: Hillary Clinton failing to win the Democratic nomination might well have been the best thing that could have happened, from the perspective of those who like the idea of living under a female President of the United States. I have little doubt that Hillary Clinton would have beaten John McCain – largely because she was better equipped to secure Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Florida than Obama,…
For one week in August, Politicalbetting.com will be reporting from Denver Back in March, I sent in some application forms to the DNC and RNC so that PoliticalBetting.com could be credentialled alongside other media outlets to cover the Nominating Conventions from Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul respectively. The RNC gave us an unequivocal rejection (the Right seems less interested in what Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) called “a Series of Tubes“ than the Left) but the Democrats have made some accommodation for…
SNP internal poll shows them just 4 points behind in Glasgow East Four days ahead of Glasgow East, the Sunday Herald is reporting SNP internal polling that shows them behind by just 4 points, while Labour internal polling shows that it will be “as tight as hell” – a 3-figure majority now looks likely. Latest Glasgow East prices are here. The Scotland on Sunday considers the impact that the Glasgow Fair is having on the campaign, while Geoffrey Wheatcroft portrays…
What record will be broken later today? John Rentoul has news on his blog that there is a significant poll to be published in the Independent on Sunday, expected from ComRes later today. He writes: “We have a ComRes poll in The Independent on Sunday tomorrow. Another record will be broken. We have also asked people whether they agree or disagree with the following statements: Britain should never have become involved in Iraq British troops should be withdrawn from Iraq…
Could a daring move could seal the Election early? Very few people would fail to recognise the talents of Senator Obama as a campaigning politician. His oratory is uplifting, his intellect apparent, his energy and youth appealing, and his campaign not only made the most of new technology, but didn’t sacrifice the benefits of old-fashioned door knocking and lawn signs either. He beat one of the toughest opponents imagineable in the primary season, and now enjoys a massive fundraising advantage…