UKIP’s attempt to block the scrapping of roaming charges will play badly in the EURef campaign

UKIP’s attempt to block the scrapping of roaming charges will play badly in the EURef campaign

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Appearing to put the interests of big business first might not be smart One of the things which the REMAIN campaign finds hard is giving specific examples of what the EU does for individual voters. One such area now is the decision taken at the end of October, to end all mobile phone roaming charges for use in the EU in 18 months time. This means that the millions of UK smartphone users who travel to Europe each year won’t…

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Local By-Election Preview : December 23rd 2015

Local By-Election Preview : December 23rd 2015

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Grendon, Underwood and Brill (Con defence) on Aylesbury Vale Result of council at last election (2015): Conservatives 43, Liberal Democrats 9, United Kingdom Independence Party 4, Labour 2, Independent 1 (Conservative majority of 27) Result of ward at last election (2015): Conservative 1,068 (55%), United Kingdom Independence Party 427 (22%), Green Party 246 (13%), Liberal Democrats 213 (11%) Candidates duly nominated: Cameron Branston (Con), Gary Good (UKIP), Julian Newman (Lib Dem) Aylesbury Vale is perhaps a fitting way to end…

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How the United Kingdom is changing almost without comment

How the United Kingdom is changing almost without comment

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Alistair Meeks on the “Secret Federation” On Wednesday, John Swinney stood up to deliver his draft budget for Scotland.  The consensus was that the event was a damp squib.  With no changes to income tax and only copycat changes to stamp duty on second homes, it was less of a fiscal fiesta and more of a monetary mundanity.  The SNP showed themselves to be a party more intent on not risking re-election than in demonstrating a different Scottish way of…

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LAB’s one big hope is that the Tories will tear themselves apart over the EU

LAB’s one big hope is that the Tories will tear themselves apart over the EU

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What’s the post EURef blue team going to be like? The Tories have a long history of tearing themselves apart over Europe. Who can forget how in the weeks after John Major’s sensational election victory in 1992 huge fault lines started to develop in the party. It wasn’t helped by “black Wednesday” – that extraordinary day when Britain could not sustain the value of sterling on the foreign exchanges markets and the country had to leave the ERM. How lucky…

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As well as poor Corbyn leader ratings Labour has been struggling in local by-elections

As well as poor Corbyn leader ratings Labour has been struggling in local by-elections

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LAB’s performance in local by-elections since the new man came in The following, produced by Luke Akehurst for Labour List, shows “the change in Labour vote share in all the council by-elections where there has been a Labour candidate (and there was a Labour candidate in the previous contest so a comparison can be made) since the leadership election in September)” Mike Smithson Follow @MSmithsonPB Tweet

Latest ICM EURef tracker edges to REMAIN in line with other recent polling

Latest ICM EURef tracker edges to REMAIN in line with other recent polling

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In what’s likely to be the last EURef poll of 2015 ICM online reports an increase in the REMAIN lead from 1% a week ago to 7% now. This is the same direction that we’ve seen in all EURef polls over past week. One of the great rules of polling analysis is that whenever possible you shouldn’t treat one poll on its own. How does the trend compare with others with fieldwork at about the same time? What’s the general…

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With perhaps just 6 months before EURef most people it seems don’t give a damn about the EU

With perhaps just 6 months before EURef most people it seems don’t give a damn about the EU

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Just 1% tell Ipsos MORI that EU most important issue facing the country With perhaps only months to go before Britain votes on whether or not to remain in the EU the latest Ipsos MORI Issues Index shows that those thinking this is Britain’s biggest issue is just 1%. Another 4% named it as one the other issues facing the country but that only makes a paltry 5%. You’d have thought that with all the effort going into to the…

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While latest polling might not be good for Corbyn it also raises questions over Osborne

While latest polling might not be good for Corbyn it also raises questions over Osborne

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@MSmithsonPB If 38% of Con voters can't answer a question like that in Osborne's favour he's fucked. — ForgottenGenius (@ExStrategist) December 21, 2015 The problem Osborne’s got is the party’s electoral system that was devised by William Hague during his 1997-2001 period as leader. Basically there is an exhaustive ballot of MPs to choose two of their number whose names will go forward to the membership in a secret postal ballot. Given that so many of the blue team at…

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