How hard is it going to be to return to power? There are two schools of thought in the Labour Party on the scale of the defeat at the 2010 election. Important expectations are tied to each of these and are creating a peculiar dynamic in the party right now. It sounds strange, but one year on and many of us cannot agree how badly we did and how far we are from the winning post. The first camp led…
Could he just carry on as a minister? There’s been a flurry of activity on the next cabinet exit betting market following the news that Chris Huhne has had another meeting with police and that this now in the hands of the CPS. Paddypower now make Huhne the 4/5 favourite to be first out with Ladbrokes offering 2/1. But how certain is a resignation if he’s charged? Couldn’t Huhne just say that you innocent until found guilty and just carry…
But have its detractors failed to get their case over? There’ve been lots of rumblings during the past three weeks about the size and the dominating impact impact of the BBC and, indeed, the corporation is going to be looked at as part of the post-hacking inquiries. But is there public support for its wings being clipped? One repeated complaint has been its coverage of the hacking scandal itself with many arguing that because its own interests its coverage is…
The Sun – May 6th 2010 Henry G Manson ponders about the post-scandal media world On Sunday, Damian Thompson, Editor of the Telegraph Blogs launched a striking attack on David Cameron and the News International phonehacking affair. He concluded, “It will be difficult to vote Tory at the next election.” This caught me by surprise and set me thinking if it was at all conceivable that the Telegraph could actually withdraw its support for the Conservatives under David Cameron? What…
BBC news Will the parliamentary recess make this less of an issue? The big news this evening has been the agreement in Brussels of a bail-out deal try to solve the Greek crisis. For Britain a critical element will be the pressure this takes off UK banks who, after France and Germany, had the greatest exposure. On the political front ministers must be quite relieved that parliament won’t be sitting again until September. @MikeSmithsonPB
Ipsos-MORI Will yesterday be seen as a turning point? The chart shows the recent trends in the MORI leadership satisfaction ratings and there’s little doubt that the PM has taken a hit as a result of the hacking scandal. The question now is whether this will be sustained and whether Cameron can reach satisfaction numbers that would point to the Tories winning a general election with an overall majority. As I keep on saying these findings historically are a much…
Hope you can make the next PB gathering Thanks to Fat Steve for once again organising this. We are having an informal get-together at the historic Dirty Dicks pub opposite the main entrance to Liverpool Street station in London. There’s no need to book but it does help if those who are coming can email Steve at Londonevent@politicalbetting.com It was a great gathering there in April before the elections – see you there next month Whatever your connection with PB…