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Category: Marf Cartoons

Did a minister have advance knowledge?

Did a minister have advance knowledge?

But has the story any impact beyond the Westminster village? The Green arrest affair has taken on a new turn this evening with a report by Iain Martin on the Telegraph “Three Line Whip” blog that “the strong rumour is that one minister with good police contacts did know and has remained well under the radar since the row erupted last week, for understandable reasons.” This, clearly, could have big ramifications because the most damaging thing for the government, surely,…

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Is it time to be betting on Jacqui’s departure?

Is it time to be betting on Jacqui’s departure?

What about William Hill’s 6/4 price? I have just got a bet on with William Hill at 6/4 that Jacqui Smith will “will cease to be Home Secretary before the next General Election takes place”. The bookie only allowed me £80 although I wanted to put on £1000 – because these seem great odds. Even if Smith survives the current “Green-gate” affair Labour Home Secretaries have a record of not lasting very long and something else, surely, could come along…

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The Pre-Budget Report: the clashes continue

The Pre-Budget Report: the clashes continue

How will Gord and Dave do tomorrow? In view of its importance in setting out the battlegrounds for the general election it’s hardly surprising that the political day has been dominated by skirmishes over yesterday’s statement by Chancellor Darling. We’ve seen the Tories arguing that the detail of the plans means that people earning as little as £19,000 a year will be worse off and questions over whether the new 45% tax rate will actually bring in more revenue. All…

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Have the battlelines been drawn?

Have the battlelines been drawn?

Was this really the most socialist PBR since Sunny Jim? So with as much high drama as could be summoned, the Chancellor has delivered his Pre-Budget report, with the key measures of cutting VAT to 15% and raising the top-level of Income Tax not a surprise to anyone who reads the newspapers. The Shadow Chancellor issued a stinging rebuttal, though whilst the passion of the performance was undeniable, critics are characterising the lack of policy as meaning that the Tories…

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On the spreads the Tory majority gets narrower

On the spreads the Tory majority gets narrower

Do we expect further moves to Labour? As expected the latest Ipsos-MORI poll putting Labour just 3% behind has caused movement on the spread betting markets – the political betting arenas where you can win or lose whole piles of cash by trading the number of seats the parties will get at the general elecxtion as though they were stocks and shares. The latest spreads from from PB’s co-sponsor, Sporting Index are: CON 334-340: LAB 242-248: LD 42-45 seats. With…

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And what about the weekly BBC polling “scandal”?

And what about the weekly BBC polling “scandal”?

When are they going to clamp-down on pro-Labour samples? One most Fridays when parliament is sitting BBC2’s “Daily Politics” programme announces the results of its latest ComRes poll on matters of current concern. This generally gets picked up by other parts of the media who treat it, quite naturally, like any other ComRes political poll. It’s not and the BBC should say so. For the Daily Politics polls have one fundamental difference compared with the standard ComRes voting intention surveys…

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Will the Bush move add to the Brown renaissance?

Will the Bush move add to the Brown renaissance?

How will the Tories attack “the man who saved the world“? This afternoon’s announcement by President Bush that the US government is to spend $250m buying stakes in troubled banks provides further ammunition for those who are trying to turn round Gordon Brown’s reputation and standing. For this is along the lines of what Britain has done and, no doubt, in a very short time it will be called “the Brown plan”. What greater validation, it will be argued, can…

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Is today’s move going to help or hinder Labour?

Is today’s move going to help or hinder Labour?

Now the battle moves on to who will get the blame? On what the BBC business editor, Robert Peston, is calling “Momentous Monday” the FTSE 100 has moved up more than 100 points as the City digests the news that RBS is now 60% owned by the government with a 40% share being held in the newly merging Lloyds and HBOS. As part of the deal the chief executives and chairmen of both RBS and HBOS are resigning and Peston…

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