Forget Paul Ryan, it’s Cruz or bust for the NeverTrump campaign

Forget Paul Ryan, it’s Cruz or bust for the NeverTrump campaign

As Wisconsin goes to the polls, it’s Ted Cruz (and not Paul Ryan) that the GOP must unite behind if they want to stop Donald Trump says Keiran Pedley It’s fair to say that Wisconsin occupies something of an odd place on the GOP primary calendar in 2016. If it feels like a long time since Republican voters have been to the polls that’s because it has been. By the time that Wisconsin votes this week, it will have been…

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After tomorrow’s Wisconsin primary we could be looking at House Speaker, Paul Ryan, very differently

After tomorrow’s Wisconsin primary we could be looking at House Speaker, Paul Ryan, very differently

From Politico on Paul Ryanhttps://t.co/gin0uviXsg pic.twitter.com/K0O8T76VvX — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) April 4, 2016 Paul Ryan setting himself up for nomination? Via @nowthisnewsHe admits he was wrong about people living in povertyhttps://t.co/VfLtBmCVZJ — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) April 4, 2016

Ups and downs. The referendum’s impact on individual politicians

Ups and downs. The referendum’s impact on individual politicians

The nation’s politicians are consumed by the referendum debate. 23 June is seen as a momentous day. But politics will not stop on 24 June. Who has the campaign benefited so far? And, just as interestingly, who is on the wane? A Good Campaign Jeremy Corbyn. Simply by doing not very much, he has found that the heat has come off him to a large extent.  The public is being reminded that Labour is not the only divided party and…

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Nicky Morgan’s academy plan could boost her leadership hopes – or kill them stone dead

Nicky Morgan’s academy plan could boost her leadership hopes – or kill them stone dead

Donald Brind on the Ed Sec’s big gamble Nicky Morgan reckons she has what it takes to be Tory leader. She put her name on the board last October and followed it up with a declaration in February that it would be “a big mistake if Tory members were offered a choice between “two white men”, when David Cameron steps down. Her dream is in desperate need of a boost. In last month’s Conservative Home survey of leadership contenders she…

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The disintegrating establishment

The disintegrating establishment

In 2010, Britain was being wrestled over by two parties competing to portray themselves to the public as the natural party of government.  In his first conference speech, David Cameron returned repeatedly to the theme of “substance”.  He told his party: “Real substance is about taking time to think things through, not trotting out easy answers that people might want to hear.  It’s about sticking to your guns.  It’s about character, judgement, and consistency.  It’s about policy, yes.  But it’s…

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A betting market on the size of Donald Trump’s non flaccid manhood sums up the weirdness of the GOP nomination race

A betting market on the size of Donald Trump’s non flaccid manhood sums up the weirdness of the GOP nomination race

Will Trump rise to the occasion? Betting on the Republican nominee and related markets has been a mix of the interesting, surreal and downright bizarre. The betting overreaction to Marco Rubio finishing third in Iowa and becoming the favourite for the nomination was a particular highlight and profitable for many. But the GOP nomination contest has been marked by a certain viciousness between the candidates, with Donald Trump giving Ted Cruz the epithet Lyin’ Ted Cruz, whilst the cherry on…

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Sean Fear on what to expect on June 23rd

Sean Fear on what to expect on June 23rd

Looking at the detail by local authority area Yougov have produced a very useful map that ranks local authority areas across Great Britain by levels of Euroscepticism. . Euroscepticism is not necessarily identical to supporting Brexit, but one can assume that there is a close correlation between the two. What does the map show us, and how does it compare to polling data? 1. There is a clear correlation between voting for right wing parties (Conservatives and UKIP) and support…

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How Port Talbot could give us a pointer to the EURef

How Port Talbot could give us a pointer to the EURef

Will UKIP fare well in Wales? In the hot-house of political reporting and comment, individual stories invariably seem more important at the time than they subsequently turn out to be. The future of the Port Talbot steel works is likely to be one such case. Although the closure or even mothballing of the plant would be disastrous for the town and the people who live and work there, for most of Wales – never mind the country beyond – the…

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