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More bad polling news on the budget

More bad polling news on the budget

Will there be another bonanza for Brown BrandIndex punters? Those punters who sold Brown on the IG politicians popularity market in the immediate aftermath of Wednesday’s budget speech look set to pocket another big parcel of cash as more polling has shown that the contents and the Chancellor himself have gone down badly. Rather than wait for the actual index numbers I closed my Brown positions down yesterday making this, together with the successful budget length bets, my most profitable…

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Sean Fear’s Friday slot

Sean Fear’s Friday slot

Why Aren’t the Conservatives Doing Better? This may seem an odd question to ask at a time when the Conservative Party has enjoyed several years of steady advance in local government, and now holds almost 40% of council seats in Great Britain, for the first time since 1987. The answer, I think, is really the mirror of my article of last week “The Strange Death of Labour England.” In previous years of local government success, the Conservatives could expect to…

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Tories take 8% YouGov lead as Brown’s budget bombs

Tories take 8% YouGov lead as Brown’s budget bombs

Could the budget “masterstroke” have scuppered Gordon’s chances? What a difference two days make? After all the cheers from his fellow Labour MPs on Wednesday there’s a massive blow to Brown and his party from YouGov in the Daily Telegraph this morning. For in the first poll since the budget there is a 2% increase in the Tory lead. These are the figures compared with the last survey from the internet pollster – CON 39% (+1): LAB 31% (-1): LD…

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Polly Toynbee turns on Brown over the budget

Polly Toynbee turns on Brown over the budget

Can Gordon ignore the attacks from the left? With the Brown betting price for Labour leader now moving to 0.2/1 there’s a sharp attack on his strategy from someone who, until now, was one of the Chancellor’s biggest and most influential media supporters – Polly Toynbee of the Guardian. Part of her piece is reproduced above (click on it to read the whole article) and her point can be summed up in on sentence – “For the sake of a…

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Is Edwards set to quit the White House Race?

Is Edwards set to quit the White House Race?

Is he putting his wife’s health first? John Edwards, the Democrat VP candidate in 2004, is holding a press conference within the next hour amidst reports that he is planning to quit the race to win his party’s nomination for the 2008 race because of his wife’s health. His betting price has started to ease and now stands at about 11/1. In recent months Edwards has been working very hard in Iowa and New Hampshire – which are amongst the…

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Punters react cautiously to Brown’s budget “tax cut”

Punters react cautiously to Brown’s budget “tax cut”

Is it going to help or hinder him in his quest for the top job? Our chart shows the betting price on Gordon Brown for the Labour leadership over the past three days and reflects the very mixed feelings there are amongst punters. For as can be seen there has been a tightening on the Brown price but he is still not quite as firm a favourite as he was on Monday before the Turnbull “Brown like Stalin” story broke….

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What will be the size of Brown’s budget bounce?

What will be the size of Brown’s budget bounce?

Will the income tax move turn the ratings round – and will it last? After going through some pretty torrid times in recent weeks Labour must be feeling pretty chipper about Gordon Brown’s eleventh budget and must be hoping that there will be a reversal in the polls. For the announcement of the 20% basic tax rate came as a real shock and will be leading the bulletins and much of the news coverage for the rest of the day….

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Who’ll have the best Stalin sound-bite?

Who’ll have the best Stalin sound-bite?

Can Brown put the polls and the Turnbull attack behind him? After what the Times is calling “Black Tuesday for the Chancellor” Gordon has a chance this afternoon to steady the nerves of his party and put his bid for the leadership beyond doubt. For the budget is one of those great set-piece parliamentary occasions and is the only time during the year when the Chancellor and the leader of the opposition face each other across the chamber. No doubt…

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