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Category: Tories

How big’s the Tory challenge in Lib Dem bastions?

How big’s the Tory challenge in Lib Dem bastions?

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ConservativeHome A view from a Top Tory analyst There’s an interesting analysis of the May 5th local election result by Rob Hayward on ConHome part of which focuses on the Lib Dem seats which the Tories would hope to take given current polling. “…Nothing in politics is ever perfect nor consistent and the LDs showed remarkable resilience in a number of places probably in the form of incumbency. Where there was a sitting LD MP or Mayor they generally performed…

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Can Labour open up the Tory EU wounds?

Can Labour open up the Tory EU wounds?

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Guardian Could the blues be vulnerable on the bail-out costs? Patrick Wintour in the Guardian has an interesting piece about a Labour plan to “to work with Eurosceptic Tories to reduce the size of UK contributions to the bailout of troubled eurozone nations and to cut the timescale of UK liability.” He writes: “Labour is weighing up an alliance with increasingly fractious Tory Eurosceptics over two specific issues likely to return to the Commons in the next few months –…

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Is crime the issue that Michael Ashcroft thinks it is?

Is crime the issue that Michael Ashcroft thinks it is?

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Ipsos-MORI Would the MORI method have produced a different picture? Much has been made in the past week of Michael Ashcroft’s massive poll in which he sought to identify the issues that the Tories need to focus upon if they are to win a majority. He highlighted two policy strands: – the NHS and crime/law and order and it’s on the latter that there’s been much focus in recent days with the strong suggestion being that being “tough” is the…

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Three in four Conservative voters back Ken Clarke

Three in four Conservative voters back Ken Clarke

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Will this stop the Speccie’s team getting too excitable? Ever since Ken made his unfortunate remarks on 5Live last Wednesday there’s been an air of excitability and expectation in some of the postings on the Speccie’s CoffeeHouse blog. Several posts gave the impression that now, at least, Cameron would have to get rid of the justice secretary whose views on the EU, the Iraq war and a less than authoritarian stance on crime have not endeared him to sections of…

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Should David Herdson’s MP ask his dad to resign?

Should David Herdson’s MP ask his dad to resign?

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Does 22.6% of the vote give a mandate? The above is a Tweet from Philip Davies – MP for Shipley where, I believe, PB guest editor, David Herdson is/was chairman of the local Conservative Association. The Davies point is a fair one but is he consistent? What was his reaction when his Dad, Peter Davies won the 2009 executive mayor race in Doncaster after coming out second in first round votes on just 22.6%. Doncaster Mayoral Election 2009 Name 1st…

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Did Cameron help the LDs with this rare victory?

Did Cameron help the LDs with this rare victory?

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Did the PM’s campaigning encourage anti-Tory tactical voting? There were several requests yesterday for me to do something on why the mayoral election result in Bedford borough bucked the national trend. A bit of history: The Tories should have won this in a by-election in 2009 when their failure was put down to an “open primary” which produced a candidate from the Asian communities leading to huge rows and splits in the local party. This time the selection was restricted…

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Is Philip Hammond set to become the Tory John Reid?

Is Philip Hammond set to become the Tory John Reid?

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Is he the “safe pair of hands” to take on troubled portfolios? In recent weeks the AV campaign has brought back to prominence John Reid – the man I thought should have taken over as Labour leader when Tony Blair was forced out in 2007. He played a blinder with his double act last week with Cameron underlining why he was seen by many as the best Labour commuicator of his era. He famously dubbed Jeremy Paxman a “West London…

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Why’s Dave campaigning where there’s no Tory candidate?

Why’s Dave campaigning where there’s no Tory candidate?

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Bedford Today Didn’t someone tell him about the nominations cock-up? Campaigning visits by party leaders and sitting PM’s to specific locations during the local elections are something of a rarity. The leader’s time is a precious resource and has to be used where it can do most good for the party. So how come that Cameron found himself this week putting fire in the bellies of Tory activists in the Bedford Borough ward of Oakley? For this is the only…

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