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Do the size of ministers’ majorities matter?

Do the size of ministers’ majorities matter?

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  One of the charms of the Westminster system is that Cabinet ministers still have contact with the electorate through their surgeries and case work. It’s a reality check. In other electoral systems Ministers are not constituency MPs. However the make-up the voters that have the ear of Cabinet and Shadow ministers matters and they’re not always representative. Earlier this week Patrick O’Flynn at the Express argued how some of the Conservative Party’s current problems related to the fact that…

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Who would take over as Labour Leader if Ed fell short?

Who would take over as Labour Leader if Ed fell short?

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  I expect Labour to win most seats at the next general election and for Ed Miliband to be Prime Minister. The bookies make it the most likely event but not a certainty. They price it as a 1/2 shot that Labour will return the most MPs at the next election and 4/6 that Ed Miliband makes it to 10 Downing Street. This is not a universal view by any stretch of the imagination. So what happens if Labour falls…

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TSE on Making Your Mind Up on who to back at Eurovision.

TSE on Making Your Mind Up on who to back at Eurovision.

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Whilst the polls show Brits remain cynical about Eurovision and think it is all about politics, some of us enjoy Eurovision for that reason, for the music and the betting opportunities. With the elimination of the Former Yugoslavian states of Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia in the semi finals, and Bosnia and Herzegovina withdrawing from the contest, due to financial reasons, there’s a potential for less Balkan bloc voting this time around which could make the final result more open. There are many…

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Corporeal on Lady Thatcher

Corporeal on Lady Thatcher

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Northern Echo: We’ll always remember her #tomorrowspaperstoday twitter.com/hendopolis/sta… — Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) April 17, 2013   With the passing of Margaret Thatcher, many obituaries have been written (or at least dusted off and had the dates filled in) alongside as many pieces about her time in power and that word that hangs over every politician, legacy. What many of them will do at some point is refer to her as “The Grocer’s Daughter” (and this is the title of the…

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Corporeal asks: Are the Kippers a red herring?

Corporeal asks: Are the Kippers a red herring?

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In case you didn’t notice there was a by-election the other day in Eastleigh, and UKIP did rather well (as did some of our punters). So now is the time to glance ahead at the markets for UKIP at the next general election, namely whether they will win a seat, and their percentage of the overall vote. There’s been quite a colourful cast of parties who’ve had an election night triumph somewhere at sometime: Communists, Respect, Green, the Common Wealth…

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Corporeal on David Cameron and the NHS

Corporeal on David Cameron and the NHS

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The Three letters of David Cameron When David Cameron won the Conservative party leadership contest he said he could state his priorities in three letters: NHS. More than any other issue, from the Big Society to hugging huskies in hoodies, he’s tried to connect himself to the state of healthcare in this country. While prescribing declaring cuts had to take place in almost every other department he declared he would protect the NHS by ring-fencing its budget. It is a…

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antifrank looks ahead to 2013

antifrank looks ahead to 2013

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  So, what lies ahead for politics in 2013? Pausing only to admire my willingness to have a go, given my mediocre track record in predictions, let’s get stuck in. The current state of play Where are we now? For this, I can borrow wholesale from my summary from last year. The public doesn’t approve of the Coalition. The public doesn’t much like David Cameron. The public really doesn’t like Nick Clegg. The public doesn’t rate Ed Miliband either. The…

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How will the Scottish independence referendum affect the next general election

How will the Scottish independence referendum affect the next general election

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James Kelly looks at the various scenarios. One thing is for sure – Scotland will be returning MPs to Westminster at the next general election, whenever it is held.  On the SNP’s proposed timetable, a Yes vote in the 2014 referendum would not result in an independent Scottish state coming into being until 2016. It is inconceivable that Scotland could remain part of the United Kingdom, even for a few months, without parliamentary representation.  Perhaps a provisional arrangement might be…

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