The referendum has not harmed growth, investment or confidence. The *possibility* of a Corbyn Government could be a different matter. — Daniel Hannan (@DanielJHannan) June 13, 2017 A lot can happen in a hundred years or so. On the eve of the First World War, the United Kingdom was a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, but it didn’t look very united at all. The nation was on the point of civil war, with the Conservatives openly allied with…
Labour has allowed the Conservative party to question its patriotism and take sole ownership of the Union Jack. That is a mistake, says Joff Wild – particularly in light of what has happened over recent years Theresa May, we are told, has bought herself sometime after appearing in front of the 1922 Committee and taking responsibility for the general election campaign and the result it delivered. “I got us into this mess,” she is reported to have told her backbench…
Don Brind reflects on a better than expected result “Can I have one of those”, said a young woman as I was walking along the road with a bundle of leaflets in my south London constituency. She was on her way home to collect her boyfriend before going to vote. She was having trouble deciding how to vote. “Is there anything in particular that is worrying you”, I asked. “I’m worried about terrorist attacks. I’m not sure that Labour can…
Detailed breakdown from Lord’s Ashcroft’s 13k “exit” poll How the Tories lost their “oldie” firewall Thanks to David Cowling for producing the above table from Lord Ashcroft’s 13k sample on the survey. It provides an excellent resource which will be referred to time and time again. The picture presented has become well-known since the election – the huge vote for Labour amongst the younger generations those in the 18-24 and 24-34 groups. What I find interesting is the the 65+…
The election in Northern Ireland was an enormously dispiriting one for me. As a Unionist who is a former liberal Tory I threw my hat in with the UUP a number of years ago, before joining them last year. When I first started working with them the new Stormont Opposition (UUP/SDLP) was box fresh and ready to try and land blows on the DUP/SF Executive. It was difficult to get a foothold in a place that isn’t really used to…
All learning, it is said, is a form of humiliation. There is no doubt that Theresa May has been humiliated by the events of the last few days. She has lost her majority, she has lost her authority and she may yet lose her job. Yet for now she remains in harness and she has the opportunity to learn from what has happened. Just a few weeks ago, the Prime Minister stood confidently above all that she surveyed. Her popularity…
It might not be the most likely outcome. But the prospect of a Labour government has put Brexit back on the table writes Keiran Pedley. After Thursday’s shock election result we are all waiting for the dust to settle to see where we are. At the time of writing, Theresa May is hoping to cling on as Prime Minister with many sceptical that she will last the week. Her best hope, it seems, is that no consensus candidate emerges to…
Matthew Shaddick (Shadsy) of Ladbrokes on how the bookies did at the 2017 general election. I can only speak confidently for Ladbrokes (and Corals!) but the 2017 general election was almost certainly the most profitable in history for UK bookies. After the bloodbath of a Tory majority in 2015, we managed to win most of that back with the result on Thursday. Essentially, a hung parliament with the Tories remaining as the largest party and in government was our optimal…