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Category: General Election

Does this add more pressure on Gordon?

Does this add more pressure on Gordon?

MORI: Half of 2005 Labour voters “less likely to do it again” A new poll by Ipsos-MORI sponsored by the Unison trade union has more bad news for Gordon as he prepares to celebrate his first year in Downing Street. No voting intention figures were included in the survey all though interviewees were asked if they voted Labour in 2005. In its commentary the pollster says: “Ipsos MORI’s survey for UNISON, shows that almost half (47%) of those who have…

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Will Gord’s anniversary put his survival on the agenda?

Will Gord’s anniversary put his survival on the agenda?

Could the birthday week of judgement set the ball rolling? Next Friday, on June 27th, Gordon will be celebrating his first anniversary as Prime Minister and we are going to see a lot of commentators, like Jonathan Freedland in the Guardian, giving their verdict on the first twelve months. And given how events have unfolded this could provide the peg for a lot of critical analysis of his leadership style and further questions about his future. Freedland was a pretty…

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How much of the new Tory support is flakey?

How much of the new Tory support is flakey?

Can Cameron rely on those who didn’t vote last time? In September 2007, when Labour was riding high and Gordon could do no wrong, I questioned several times whether the poll shares we were seeing were robust because so much of the “new” support for the party was coming from people who had not voted at the 2005 general election. As anybody with experience of on the ground campaigning knows the most reliable electors are those who have a record…

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YouGov Tory lead cut to 22%

YouGov Tory lead cut to 22%

Labour nudge up two points from their record low The second of the night’s opinion polls, from YouGov for the Sunday Times, shows a small improvement for Labour on the last survey from the firm at the end of May. The latest figures with changes on that poll are: CON 47% (nc): LAB 25% (+2): LD 18% (nc). The fieldwork took place on Thursday and Friday – important because it was on Thursday that David Davis made his big announcement….

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Can Nick’s party beat the spread markets?

Can Nick’s party beat the spread markets?

Have punters got this one right? The latest buy spread level for Lib Dem general election seats is 48 – that’s 15 short of what they have at the moment. Does this represent a betting opportunity and if so which way? The detailed data from the latest ICM polls shows that Labour was just three percent ahead of the LDs before the application of of the so-called “spiral of silence adjustment” – the calculation whereby a proportion of the vote…

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Spreadbetting market sees significant shift

Spreadbetting market sees significant shift

Are Tory supporters getting nervous? Mike Smithson has asked me to highlight significant movement on the Sporting Index political spreadbetting markets. After victory in the Crewe & Nantwich by-election, the mid-point between the Buy and Sell price on Conservative seats at the next election had been around 350, implying that David Cameron would enjoy a majority of around 50. Today, that mid-point price dropped to 335, suggesting a majority of only 20. It seems inevitable that this is largely in…

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So where does Gord stand now?

So where does Gord stand now?

Does the DUP deal create a hostage to fortune? Gordon has pulled off a victory when all seemed lost and this must take the pressure of him for the time being. My 5/1 and 6/1 bets on him not surviving 2008 look like losers. But Labour might have stored up a real problem in the “bribes” that were extracted out of the government by the DUP in exchange for their votes. A major part of Labour general election rhetoric was…

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Another day, another poll, another record Labour low

Another day, another poll, another record Labour low

Populus has Cameron’s Tories leading by 20% This is becoming so normal that it is hardly news any more – another devastating poll blow for Gordon Brown’s Labour government and this time from the firm that generally shows the party in a better light. The numbers from the June Populus poll for the Times are: CON 45% (+5): 25% (-4): LD 20% (+1). Fieldwork took place from Friday until Sunday so the party shares do not seem to have been…

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