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Election verdict. Corbyn is staying but he must raise his game

Election verdict. Corbyn is staying but he must raise his game

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Don Brind has some unlikely advice on where he should look for lessons It’s a fine sunny day in April 2005 and Tony Blair is about to make a major speech on immigration — responding to a Tory General Election campaign inspired by Lynton Crosby on his first foray into British politics. The venue is Dover and the Labour events team have spent weeks on planning and staging the event. Blair arrives by helicopter and the media pen is positioned so…

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Super Thursday 2016 : 24 hours until polls close

Super Thursday 2016 : 24 hours until polls close

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Some of the more choice local by-elections being held tomorrow Tormohun on Torbay (Con defence) Main Election: Mayoral Referendum Result of council at last election (2015): Con 25, Lib Dem 7, Ind 3, UKIP 1 (Con majority of 14) Result of ward at last election (2015): Emboldened denotes elected Liberal Democrats 1,304, 1,067, 933 (25%) Conservatives 1,289, 1,154, 1,125 (25%) United Kingdom Independence Party 971, 909 (19%) Labour 944, 662, 588 (18%) Green Party 620, 511, 416 (12%) Candidates duly…

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Why Indiana next Tuesday is so crucial for both Trump and Cruz

Why Indiana next Tuesday is so crucial for both Trump and Cruz

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James Burt (TheWhiteRabbit) looks at the battle Following Trump’s crushing victory in five north-eastern states on Tuesday, attention has now turned to next week’s GOP primary in Indiana. Indiana could prove a critical state on the route to Trump securing the nomination. There are ten states left to go to the polls, but four are ‘winner take all’ states where the result is foregone. Another three allocate their delegates proportionally, which means the difference between good and bad performances is…

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Donald Brind says that if Ken is expelled it will be a Labour gain

Donald Brind says that if Ken is expelled it will be a Labour gain

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Those who care about the Palestinians have to be careful how they attack Israel Let me say at the start that I deplore the government of Benjamin Netanyahu which I believe uses overwhelming military power to make life misery for people in neighbouring territories. When the occupied people react violently to the oppression the response ordered by Netanyahu is, I’d argue, routinely disproportionate. My rather strangulated prose is to illustrate a point. If you believe in justice for the Palestinians…

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The Mayor, the pro-IN Mayor’s Dad and the LAB approach to EURef

The Mayor, the pro-IN Mayor’s Dad and the LAB approach to EURef

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Donald Brind on how the campaign is unfolding   “It’s up to you in the Labour Party to save us.” I was too polite to reply: “From your son, you mean?”, for this was Stanley Johnson, the charming father of boorish Boris, the Brexiteer. Boris is the black sheep of the Johnson clan. As is well known, his decision to join the Leave camp put him in opposition not just to his father but also to his brother Jo, the…

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Cameron’s biggest EURef error could be diverting from Wilson’s winning 1975 template

Cameron’s biggest EURef error could be diverting from Wilson’s winning 1975 template

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A debut guest post by TC Up to the point of announcing the date of the referendum, Cameron had been following the example set by Harold Wilson.  In 1975 Wilson was faced with a split in his party and cabinet over the European EC question.  To address this problem, Wilson’s response was to have a renegotiation of our terms with the EC and then have a referendum to decide whether we remained or left.  The Wilson cabinet was also allowed…

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Is it now the left who bet with their hearts?

Is it now the left who bet with their hearts?

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It always used to be the received wisdom that rich over-optimistic Tories were responsible for keeping the Conservative price short and their seat spread high. Famously one such Tory lost over £100k in 1997, because of his faith that John Major would not do as badly as he did. But there was little evidence of this effect this time last year; punters seemed to be guided more by opinion polls and by the various models driven by them. The bookmakers and Betfair…

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The final round of Local By-elections before the May 5th elections

The final round of Local By-elections before the May 5th elections

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Menhendiot (Con defence) and Wadebridge West (Con defence) on Cornwall Result of council at last election (2013): Independents 37, Liberal Democrats 36, Conservatives 31, Labour 8, UKIP 6, Mebyon Kernow 4, Green 1 (No Overall Control, Independents short by 25) Result of wards at last election (2013): Menhendiot Conservative 549 (38%), UKIP 450 (31%), Liberal Democrat 352 (24%), Green 93 (6%) Candidates duly nominated: Charles Boney (Lib Dem), Martin Menear (Lab), Duncan Odgers (UKIP), Richard Sedgley (Green), Phil Seeva (Con)…

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