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Is Alan Johnson Labour’s best hope?

Is Alan Johnson Labour’s best hope?

Johnson favoured over Miliband by PoliticsHome panel Andrew Rawnsley, at PoliticsHome, has announced the results of one of their Phi100 surveys on the leadership of the Labour Party. He writes: “Labour would have a better chance of winning the next election under a different leader. That’s the strong view of the PHI100, Britain’s most authoritative survey of inside and expert political opinion. Asked which Labour politician would maximise the party’s chances of holding on to power, less than one six…

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Do Endorsements Matter?

Do Endorsements Matter?

Which, if any, endorsements made a difference for the Democrats? One of the major features of explaining the primary victories of either candidate in any given state or territory, alongside demographics or previous voting history, has been the litany of endorsements that are collected along the way. However, when we compare the geographical and chronological spread of these endorsements, we see that they frequently appear to be entirely independent of their chosen candidate’s success in that state. I wanted to…

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If you think Gordon can survive, a 2010 GE looks nailed on

If you think Gordon can survive, a 2010 GE looks nailed on

Is the 42 days vote the next crunch time for Brown? So, it hasn’t been Milburn, or Clarke, or Miliband. The post-Crewe bank holiday weekend has passed without any major figure stepping out to publically take on the PM, and the febrile atmosphere has subsided slightly as ministers have rallied round their embattled, if not quite fatally wounded, leader – but as a new week begins, a new issue raises its head, this time over road tax and fuel duties….

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Does Dustin’s exit make a “No” vote more likely?

Does Dustin’s exit make a “No” vote more likely?

Wikipedia Commons Ireland votes on the Lisbon Treaty in 17 days’ time The annual Eurovision extravanganza has just ended, and although Terry Wogan may be calling it a day due to the increasingly “political” nature of the voting, this provides plenty of trading opportunities for punters. Another possible political aspect of Eurovision that has been mooted is that of the Irish entry Dustin the Turkey, who enjoyed the accolade of being the event’s first non-human entry, but only made it…

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Is Miliband getting ready to run?

Is Miliband getting ready to run?

Is this the beginning of Gordon’s final days as PM? The Sunday Times is reporting this evening that David Miliband is preparing to throw his hat into the ring in a leadership contest to “save new Labour”, having told friends that he is prepared to stand if sufficient backbenchers turn against the PM. The article continues: “…senior Labour insiders claim that at least half the cabinet have privately concluded that Brown cannot win the next general election.. Among the ministers…

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Don’t write off Labour’s “Toff” attacks?

Don’t write off Labour’s “Toff” attacks?

crewe.tv This could be a good strategy to get the vote out? Labour’s core strategy in Crewe and Nantwich to portray their main opponent as a “Tory Toff” has attracted a lot of criticism and has even proved a bit too rich for some contributors to LabourHome. The sight, as above, of Labour activists seeking to follow the Tory candidate dressed up as “Toffs” and the emphasis on his background in campaign leaflets has been the principle theme of the…

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Double Carpet on Sunday

Double Carpet on Sunday

All Change in Russia – But No Change At All Balakirev considers the Putin-Medvedev handover After a week in Russia where reminders of past Soviet and pre-Soviet glories were much in evidence, clues to the future under Dimitri Medvedev and Vladimir Putin are still hard to find. Medvedev was sworn in at a stunning ceremony which looked more like a tsarist coronation than an inauguration. The next day, the ex-president, Putin, was voted in as prime minister by Russia’s parliament….

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