The Peculiar UnPopularity of Politicians

The Peculiar UnPopularity of Politicians

Parents usually have two wishes for their children: that they should neither be a politician nor a lawyer. And for good reason. Politicians are awfully unpopular people, and now more than ever. Indeed, if you look at the approval/disapproval ratings of political leaders around the world, you struggle to find any with positive ratings. Indeed, outside countries where the population are… nervous… to record their views about the leadership (*cough* Russia and Iran *cough*), there seems be only two examples…

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A date with destiny, a place in history?

A date with destiny, a place in history?

Is Rishi Sunak using a crystal ball and the dark arts to select his most propitious General Election date?    Maybe.  Or perhaps he is using careful polling and political analysis to plot a comeback-kid route victory?   Then again, he could be playing the Mr. Micawber strategy – something will turn up.  Surely? A few PBers have recently suggested that since he knows the game is up, Sunak is simply stringing out his Premiership to the maximum, to move himself as…

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Scottish independence hasn’t gone away you know

Scottish independence hasn’t gone away you know

“Devolution will kill [Scottish] nationalism stone dead” – George Robertson, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, 1995. As bad political predictions go George Robertson’s prediction only has Sion Simon as a rival and I worry Labour are going to make the same mistake again. The latest polling in the tweets above shows great news for Labour and Unionism following the absolute clown show from the SNP over the last year yet whilst trust in the SNP leaders and SNP seem to have damaged…

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The Rape case decision will make Trump’s WH2024 campaign that much harder

The Rape case decision will make Trump’s WH2024 campaign that much harder

The odds on Trump regaining the White House in November’s election have eased a bit following the decision by the jury in the Carroll court defamation case. The decision by the jury that Trump has to pay Carroll $84m could undermine his position with voters across the country and punters have reacted accordingly. To be facing an opponent who can be branded a rapist makes Biden’s re-election task easier although Trump is still the betting favourite. What I find extraordinary…

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November the Betfair favourite for the General Election

November the Betfair favourite for the General Election

There is little doubt that this market is going to see a lot of activity in the coming months because Sunak or his successor has to go to the country before the end of January 2025. My view is that whoever is PM will try to hold on as long as possible and that the election date will be after September but who knows? The argument against going in November or later it’s that the British summertime has ended and…

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Trump remains a 49% chance of regaining the White House

Trump remains a 49% chance of regaining the White House

Although is is looking more likely that Trump will win I’m not tempted to bet for two reasons – the odds seem to tight and there’s a risk that the courts or his health could become a big obstacle. On the latter Trump’s lifestyle does not appear to be good for longevity. He takes little exercise and his diet could be much much better. Mike Smithson