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Category: London and local elections

How much are tax-payers funding political parties already?

How much are tax-payers funding political parties already?

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BBC IPlayer Michael Crick’s programme is a must listen I’ve just picked up on BBC IPlayer this great Radio 4 investigation by Michael Crick on the funding of political parties and the rise of what he calls “The Political Club”. The programme blurb goes: “Michael Crick reveals how politicians are increasingly becoming a professionalised and separate class, who use their status to channel taxpayers’ money into the coffers of their parties. The recent scandal over MPs’ expenses has revealed how…

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Is “Woolie’s Woman” the defining demographic?

Is “Woolie’s Woman” the defining demographic?

Cartoon first published on December 11 2008 Is “She” the shorthand for the end of NuLab? A key media development in the past eight weeks has been the regularity with which programmes makers and writers have looked to former Woolworths employees, almost all of them women, to illustrate what’s gone wrong with the economy. BBC2’s Newsnight did it again last night. So while “Mondeo Man” and “Worcester Woman” might have defined key voters in recent elections the 2009/2010 general version…

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Did Deborah tell them about the “Golden Polling Rule”

Did Deborah tell them about the “Golden Polling Rule”

Why Labour should always assume the worst from the polls This is Deborah Mattinson – Labour’s polling advisor who was part of conference session at the weekend on the polls trying to make the case that Cameron has “..yet to seal the deal”. I don’t know about that but the lesson from polling history is that Labour’s default position should be that the most accurate poll is the one with the party in the least favourable position – what I…

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Can Ken bounce back again?

Can Ken bounce back again?

Is 10/1 good value on the newt-lover returning in 2012? I’ve just finished the book by the BBC’s Giles Edwards and the Telegraph’s Jonathan Isaby on Boris V. Ken: How Boris Johnson Won London. This is a highly readable account of both the background to this year’s race and the fight between two men for the most powerful elected position in UK politics. It’s a great holiday read for political anoraks and gives a good flavour and some interesting insights…

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Double Carpet on Tuesday

Double Carpet on Tuesday

Mayor Competition Results – how did you do? Congratulations to Andy Cooke, one of pb’s leading analysts and number-crunchers, on a clear victory in the PB London Mayor prediction competition. Andy’s overall score was just 5.07 and he also had the best first preference score of 4.59. Richard Stoneman was runner-up with a score of 6.87 while Dave Hague took third with 7.39. Fourth-placed Jack Peterson on 7.71 had the best final vote predictions, being just 0.12 away from the…

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Have Kellner and YouGov been vindicated?

Have Kellner and YouGov been vindicated?

The figures are in line with the final poll? With the final result imminent it’s looking as though the final result will be in the region of a 6% margin for Boris Johnson – almost exactly in line with YouGov’s final poll that was reported exclusively here on Monday evening. This will come as a great relief to the online pollster which has found itself a political issue in the campaign. Right from the point that the firm was reporting…

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