Browsed by
Author: TSE

Light the beacons of Gondor, Gavin Williamson may have just come up with a competent and popular policy

Light the beacons of Gondor, Gavin Williamson may have just come up with a competent and popular policy

Comments 0 Comment

We need to talk about betting on Gavin Williamson in the next Prime Minister & Tory leader markets. Being seen as a professional Frank Spencer tribute act Gavin Williamson’s reputation for ministerial competence is lower than snake testes, so when he announced the very competent and popular policy (as evidenced in the tweets above) then it merits serious discussion because these things are rarer than an actual moment of historical accuracy in the film Braveheart. The last two winners of…

Read More Read More

If it looks like an outlier, walks like an outlier, and talks like an outlier then it probably is an outlier

If it looks like an outlier, walks like an outlier, and talks like an outlier then it probably is an outlier

Comments 0 Comment

This morning’s YouGov poll in The Times attracted a lot of attention, which given the allegations of sleaze emanating, inter alia, from the Greensill Capital story the doubling of the Tory lead was something most of us weren’t expecting. Critics of Starmer seemed to use this poll to criticise him until it was pointed they were inconsistent, contrasting their past behaviour when defending bad polls for Corbyn. The YouGov poll just felt like an outlier to me and others, some…

Read More Read More

Analysing the market on Biden serving a full term

Analysing the market on Biden serving a full term

Comments 0 Comment

In recent weeks Joe Biden’s struggles up the stairs of Air Force One attracted much comment from his opponents and critics. It is a bit of an awkward watch, for some reason it reminded me of Ed Miliband’s inability to eat a bacon sandwich. But Biden’s critics seem to be pushing various memes about Biden being weak and physically unfit to be President, if you want to bet on Biden not lasting the full term Ladbrokes have a market up…

Read More Read More

A reminder: Starmer needs a net gain of 124 seats at the next GE to win a majority

A reminder: Starmer needs a net gain of 124 seats at the next GE to win a majority

Comments 0 Comment

A reminder of the atrocious legacy Corbyn bequeathed Starmer & Labour Today is Sir Keir Starmer’s first anniversary as Labour leader and I thought it would be worth remembering the position Starmer inherited. Only three Leaders of the Opposition have made over 100 net gains at at next election, Attlee, Blair, and Cameron, so Starmer will be joining stellar company if he achieves it. My own opinion is that Labour probably needs to only make around 40 net gains from…

Read More Read More

I’d like to see betting markets on how many MPs and MSPs defect to Alba by the end of May

I’d like to see betting markets on how many MPs and MSPs defect to Alba by the end of May

Comments 0 Comment

It has been quite an exciting 48 hours in Scotland with the announcement of the Alba Party by former First Minister Alex Salmond, we’ve seen two defections from the Westminster delegation which Ian Blackford has reacted to the defections dispassionately to rival the the way so many Conservatives handled the defection of Mark Reckless in 2014. Blackford’s comment reminded me of one Conservative’s observation at the time of the defection of Mark Reckless “I can’t say the word c**t but…

Read More Read More

The Prince of Wales of people’s hearts, in people’s hearts, and votes?

The Prince of Wales of people’s hearts, in people’s hearts, and votes?

Comments 0 Comment

Boris Johnson isn’t the only British politician experiencing a vaccine boost The voting intention section of the YouGov polling of Wales was quite disheartening for Labour. Regular readers of this website are aware that leader ratings and other related supplementaries are often better pointers of electoral outcomes than headline voting intention figures ergo there is a bit of hope for Labour. As we can see in the second tweet Mark Drakeford’s ratings show he is the first Welsh Prince of…

Read More Read More

Just 7% would vote for The Queen to be our Head of State

Just 7% would vote for The Queen to be our Head of State

Comments 0 Comment

Only a quarter of voters would vote for a Royal This YouGov polling really did catch my attention, just 7% of the country would vote for The Queen as head of state, that shakes out at roughly 1% for every decade she’s been on the throne. I wonder if this is the result of the Brexit campaign. Taking back control from our unelected rulers has never been more popular. I mean today we wouldn’t accept hereditary doctors or Prime Ministers,…

Read More Read More