Why weren’t ICM’s VI numbers in the Guardian print edition?

Why weren’t ICM’s VI numbers in the Guardian print edition?

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Is the paper embarrassed by what its pollster is finding? After yesterday’s article looking at what happened the last time pollsters were tested against real election results a PB regular contacted me to say that the latest ICM poll was not covered in the print edition of the Guardian. I found that hard to believe so I’ve just popped into my local public library to go through this week’s print editions of the paper. I might have missed it and…

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Obesity: should fatties be taxed rather than fat?

Obesity: should fatties be taxed rather than fat?

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Could a risk-based National Insurance system ever work? Government health drives are always dangerous things politically, as they tend to deliver unpopular information to people who know the truth of it but dislike having to admit their failings to themselves and so blame the messenger. That the message is frequently accompanied by tax increases doesn’t really help either. The reports about obesity published in The Lancet yesterday and widely covered in the media fit very much into that mould, advocating…

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Good evening PB Night Hawks..

Good evening PB Night Hawks..

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On the evening that Sally B has been evicted.. The big political news as we open the PB Night Hawk Cafe is, of course, that Sally Bercow has been evicted from the Big Brother house. A nation mourns just as it does when Manchester United win. Meanwhile there’s an interesting post on the Archbishop Cramner blog in which he tries to create a cabinet consisting solely of bloggers. Greg Callus, Morus as we know him, and myself are both in…

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Does anyone want to follow Iain Gray as the SLAB leader – anyone?

Does anyone want to follow Iain Gray as the SLAB leader – anyone?

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Henry G Manson on Labour’s challenge in Scotland The bookmakers were quick to develop a market for the successor to Labour’s Iain Gray after he announced his resignation in May. Months on, Gray is still in place, there is no timetable for the contest and currently no eligible candidates declared. Earlier this summer I tipped Ken McIntosh and went reasonably big on him on the grounds he was the party’s best remaining communication. It now seems in there’s a chance…

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Remember when ICM and YouGov last went head to head?

Remember when ICM and YouGov last went head to head?

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The big polling news of the week has been the difference view between the online pollster, YouGov, and the phone firm ICM on what voters are now thinking. The former has had Labour with leads of 5% or more all week – the latter, for the second month running, had the Conservatives with a one point lead. A big difference between the two has been with the Lib Dem share. For YouGov has this at 9% while ICM had it…

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Tonight in the PB Night Hawks Cafe…

Tonight in the PB Night Hawks Cafe…

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Welcome to the third of PB’s experimental over night open threads under the banner of Marf’s wonderful cartoon. The idea is to have a less formal discussion into the early hours that everybody feels able to be part of. We can talk about anything. Last night there was a discussion on one of the things that really infuriates me – the high prices that you are often charged by swanky hotels simply to use WiFi. Have you got similar beefs….

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Is Perry really as certain as this?

Is Perry really as certain as this?

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Betfair Politics Can the Texas Governor be beaten for the nomination? The latest round of polling on the GOP race for the nomination has looked good for Rick Perry – the outspoken governor of Texas. Latest Gallup GOP poll Rick Perry 25% Mitt Romney 14% Sarah Palin 11% Ron Paul 11% Rudy Giuliani 9% Michele Bachmann 7% Herman Cain 4% Newt Gingrich 3% Rick Santorum 3% Jon Huntsman 1% Other 1% No preference 12% All the candidates bar one in…

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The Lib Dems up 4pc in MORI post-riots poll

The Lib Dems up 4pc in MORI post-riots poll

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And there’s little change in the leader ratings The Ipsos-MORI political monitor for August is just out from Reuters and shows little change on July with the exception of Nick Clegg’s Lib Dems. The party sees its share move up 4 to 15% – a change that is in line with the ICM figures earlier in the week that had the yellows on 17%. The MORI 15% is the highest share from the pollster since last September. These figures from…

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