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Category: Boris

The flaw in going into an election about “the will of the people” is that those thinking Brexit was wrong have a 6% lead

The flaw in going into an election about “the will of the people” is that those thinking Brexit was wrong have a 6% lead

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This rather narrows the target audience This polling Tracker from YouGov has been asked at least twice a month since the 2016 referendum and the big trend is that there has been a shift from those thinking Brexit was right to those thinking that brexit was wrong. This matters, I would suggest, if there is to be an election which is presented as being about the People vs the Politicians as is being suggested by many commentators this morning. For…

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How special is special? The US-UK relationship

How special is special? The US-UK relationship

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Be honest. How many G7 summits do you remember? How many are little more than talking shops with the same old photos of largely the same old characters? Last year’s summit, for instance, was mostly memorable for that photo of a defensive obstinate Trump surrounded by an exasperated Merkel and others. And this year? We have the sight of Trump showing off his latest pet, our very own Prime Minister, laughing a little too keenly  at the President’s bon mots (or…

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Wise thoughts on how the Tories would do in a snap general election from Keiran Pedley

Wise thoughts on how the Tories would do in a snap general election from Keiran Pedley

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It amazes me that people have such short memories. Theresa May was going to walk the 2017 General Election and then didn’t. Perhaps it will be different this time – Johnson will almost certainly run a better campaign it’s true. But perhaps not. Care needed. — Keiran Pedley (@keiranpedley) August 24, 2019 It’s possible to foresee a world where Lib Dem / SNP gains really hurt the Tories & meanwhile Lab run a 2017 style campaign that recovers vote share…

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A man of principles. Boris Johnson and the EU

A man of principles. Boris Johnson and the EU

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If consistency is the sign of a small mind, then Boris Johnson must have a brain the size of a planet. For he has slid from position to position on the EU like Bambi on ice. In 2003, he opened a speech to the House of Commons, in which he advocated Turkish membership of the EU, thus:  “It is hard to think of a measure that the Government could have brought to the House that I could support more unreservedly…

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Small minds and Brexit. Jeremy Corbyn’s latest gambit

Small minds and Brexit. Jeremy Corbyn’s latest gambit

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His letter’s a strategic mistake The real fight starts here. Jeremy Corbyn has written to other opposition party leaders suggesting that if he calls a vote of no confidence in the government, he stands ready to lead a temporary government to obtain an extension to the Article 50 notice and then call a general election. Perplexingly, this ecumenical offer has met with a cool reception. The Lib Dems have given him the thumbs down on the ground that he would…

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An unconventional carry-on

An unconventional carry-on

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Never mind what the government should do: what will it do? Ravi Ashwin might not be the first name you think of as being of particular relevance to the Brexit denouement this October. However, his dismissal of Josh Buttler in the IPL this March is an excellent example of one side playing to the rules while the other played to the conventions of the game – and who went on to lose. Too much of the commentary around what’s likely…

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The political backcloth to current events is that the majority of those who have a view think Brexit is wrong

The political backcloth to current events is that the majority of those who have a view think Brexit is wrong

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Cummings/Johnson don’t have public opinion on their side There was a time when the Brexit tracker in every new Times/YouGov poll would get reported and discussed with people trying to read something into the changes week on week. That’s now long gone. Public opinion as measured by this tracker has remained pretty constant for “wrong” with over the past year the lead being mostly in a range of 6-11 points. Clearly those answering that Brexit was wrong have a very…

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