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Category: Coalition

Is the Boles plan the fox that can Clegg shoot?

Is the Boles plan the fox that can Clegg shoot?

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Was it designed to make Nick’s conference easier? What’s likely to produce the loudest applause during Nick Clegg’s big speech this afternoon will be when he makes clear that the coalition deal is for one parliament only and that there will be no pact with the Tories at the next election. For the prospect that something might just be on the agenda has been simmering since last Monday following the publication of a book in which the idea is floated…

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Was the Populus cuts question too ambitous?

Was the Populus cuts question too ambitous?

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How meaningful are responses to very long questions? We’ve now got the precise wording of the polling question that was read out over the telephone to 751 interviewees in this week’s Populus poll from the Times and which has been seized upon as evidence that there is little backing amongst the public for the government’s core strategy. “Which of the following statements do you most agree with? Britain has a severe debt crisis and this government thinks the country’s budget…

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Do Clegg’s problems derive from this – 30 years ago?

Do Clegg’s problems derive from this – 30 years ago?

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BBC What does he do about the 1981 LAB>SDP defectors? Whenever there are problems within the Lib Dem side of the coalition then invariably the names that crop up are Bob Russell, the Colchester MP, and Mike Hancock of Portsmouth South. For these two alongside Business Secretary, Vince Cable, have several things in common notably that they are all in their mid-60s and they were all active Labour politicians who in 1981/82 defected to the new Social Democratic Party –…

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Can the coalition deliver the post to the market?

Can the coalition deliver the post to the market?

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What chance of this government privatising Royal Mail? The privatisation of Royal Mail has been floated as a possible sale for a long time. The Conservative government under John Major seriously considered it. Peter Mandelson, under both Blair and Brown wanted to part-privatise it. In the end though, reform was minimal and it remains under government control. What chance of the government getting its way this time – and what cost? To answer that, the best thing to do is…

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Could Tory rebels block the AV bill?

Could Tory rebels block the AV bill?

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And what would that do to the coalition? According to stories in the Independent and the Spectator, there are a number of Tory MPs (Bernard Jenkin and Daniel Kawczynski are suggested as ringleaders) who will vote against the Coalition government in today’s vote on the bill that provides for a referendum on AV next May. Some are ideologically opposed to anything that threatens FPTP, some object to the impact of holding it on the same day as the Welsh/Scottish/Northern Irish…

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So what did we learn from the Blair interview?

So what did we learn from the Blair interview?

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…and what impact has today had on the leadership race?   Hague statement William Hague has issued a statement after the resignation of his special assistant Christopher Myers, which is available here.   Mike Smithson is on holiday and has very limited internet connection Double Carpet

Could Britain and France really share their carrier fleets?

Could Britain and France really share their carrier fleets?

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The Sun Is this taking defence cuts too far? The main news on the front page of the Times which is covered at length in its sister paper the Sun, is about a plan for Britain and France to “share” their aircraft carriers as part of massive economy measure. The idea is that Britain would scrap or downgrade one of the two replacement carriers which are already under construction at a cost of more than £5bn and that that one…

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How do general election LD voters view things now?

How do general election LD voters view things now?

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The ICM approval ratings break-down Coalition – overall? Good job Bad Job Don’t know All sampled 46 36 18 Current CON voters 83 5 11 Current LAB voters 21 62 16 Current LD voters 59 25 16 May 6 LD voters 48 37 15 David Cameron Good job Bad Job Don’t know All sampled 57 31 12 Current CON voters 91 5 3 Current LAB voters 33 55 12 Current LD voters 68 26 7 May 6 LD voters 58…

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