How long will it take for the Lib Dems to recover?

How long will it take for the Lib Dems to recover?

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Henry G Manson on the junior coalition partner This summer Nick Clegg said he wants his party to become a “fully-fledged party of government”. Despite that his party faces wipeout in 2014 and 2015 on top of the electoral hammer blows it’s received since it formed a Coalition with the Conservatives. More than half of the people who voted for the Liberal Democrats in 2010 have deserted them. The party has fewer than 3,000 councillors for the first time in…

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Local By-Election Preview: July 25th 2013

Local By-Election Preview: July 25th 2013

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Braintree East on Braintree (Lab Defence) Last Local Election (2011): Con 47, Lab 9, Greens 2, Ind 2 (Conservative overall majority of 34) Ward Result: (Emboldened denotes elected) Elwyn Bishop Lab 762 41.9% David Messer C 759 41.7% Collette Gibson Lab 756 Eric Lynch Lab 710 Luke Harrington C 691 Rikki Williams C 668 Wendy Partridge Grn 297 16.3% “The Only Way is Essex” could be a by word for how to win a general election. At the 1997 general…

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There are almost no changes at the top in the July Ipsos-MORI Index

There are almost no changes at the top in the July Ipsos-MORI Index

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Very little change in top concerns in July Ipsos-MORI Issues Index. See chart pic.twitter.com/Ws8Pm8o7Qs — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) July 25, 2013 Concern about the NHS remains stable In spite of recent political battles concern about the NHS unchanged in July Ipsos-MORI Issues Index. See trend pic.twitter.com/waAx1hzTMt — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) July 25, 2013 Concern about the EU/Europe drops Just 6% name the EU as an issue facing Britain in the July Ipsos-MORI Issues Index. See trend pic.twitter.com/tbG4ov73mB — Mike Smithson…

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How a minor change to the electoral system could stop Farage’s party from topping the polls in next year’s Euro elections?

How a minor change to the electoral system could stop Farage’s party from topping the polls in next year’s Euro elections?

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Simply switch from the closed to an open list voting system There’s an intriguing move developing that could lead to a change in the way the EU elections are carried out resulting in an electoral system that’s less UKIP friendly. A report just out from the LSE for the Electoral Reform Society suggests that UKIP’s chances in next year’s EU elections could be seriously undermined if an “open list” voting system was used rather than, as at the moment, the…

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Night hawks is now open

Night hawks is now open

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  Home of the web’s best political conversation If you’ve been working Nine to Five, or longer, why not relax, and converse into the night on the day’s events in PB NightHawks. If you’re a lurker,  why not delurk tonight. The round up of recent events (click on the links below, and it will bring up the relevant story) Michael Gove ‘convinced’ of Conservative victory in 2015 election George Osborne accused of bowing to City pressure Anthony Weiner and his weiner are…

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The NHS is to the Tories what immigration is to Labour – a policy area they can’t win. Better to move on

The NHS is to the Tories what immigration is to Labour – a policy area they can’t win. Better to move on

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Can the Tories ever win on the NHS? – The YouGov best party tracker pic.twitter.com/Kim189k5BB — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) July 24, 2013 Can Labour ever win on immigration? – The YouGov best party tracker pic.twitter.com/grMqb6Esad — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) July 24, 2013 The best strategy is to steer the debate on to areas of strength A week, as Harold Wilson used to say, is a long in politics and just seven days ago the Tories felt they were on to…

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