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Author: Mike Smithson

Just 46% of GE2019 CON voters still support the party

Just 46% of GE2019 CON voters still support the party

It was last January that we last did an analysis like the one above on what YouGov is finding when it asks GE2019 Tory voters what they would do now. What is interesting is that there has been almost no movement over the past four months. Sunak is still struggling with those who backed what was then Johnson’s party at the last election. By contrast 68% of GE2019 LAB voters are still saying they back the party. All this is…

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Latest general election most seats betting

Latest general election most seats betting

The value is still with LAB – just We could be less than a year away from the general election and betting markets like the one above are going to get a lot of attention as we get closer. The one thing that Sunak has is that he, and he alone, will decide the date, and no doubt he’ll be hoping for an uptick in the polls as we get closer. A week today we will be chewing over local…

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The timing of the Coronation could be helpful to the Tories

The timing of the Coronation could be helpful to the Tories

A week today and there will just be a few hours to go before the polls close in this year’s local elections. The votes will in some places be counted on the night and in other places will be counted on the Friday. In normal times if there was a terrible outcome for one of the main parties then that could be a big news story on the Saturday and possibly the serious Sundays. But that is not going to…

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We could be heading for cross-over in Scotland

We could be heading for cross-over in Scotland

LAB heads to be top party there once again By far the biggest loser when the SNP started to rise in the aftermath of the 2014 Indy referendum was Scottish Labour. This had been the traditional main party north of the border and indeed at the 2005 and 2010 elections came out with 41 of the 59 Westminster seats. That all was swept away in the aftermath of the referendum and it is only now that we have started to…

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The Tory voter suppression plan appears to be working

The Tory voter suppression plan appears to be working

As I am sure most who follow this site will know that in the local elections a week on Thursday voters are going to be required to provide a form of photo ID like a passport or a driving license. The problem was always going to be that there would be a significant proportion of the electorate who do not have the relevant documentation and a special scheme was set up to deal with this. As can be seen from…

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Biden is going for a second term

Biden is going for a second term

The big news in US politics today is that aging Joe Biden is to seek a second term and the response on the WH2024 nomination betting is very clear – he’s being rated as an 82% chance. As to the race itself, he is being traded as a 40% chance. He is by far and away the oldest occupant of the White House and clearly his age does raise questions about his ability to serve the full four years. This…

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Without the NHS improving Sunak’s government looks doomed

Without the NHS improving Sunak’s government looks doomed

The oldies rate healthcare top Yesterday I took a very big decision and booked an appointment with a private surgeon for my spine. This is going to cost me but I had a procedure on the NHS two months ago which does not seem to have done the trick and now I can barely walk. My plight is not unusual. I am sure that many PBers can relate stories of how difficult it is to see their GP and many…

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