..or does it present an opportunity for EdM? So far there hasn’t been any specific polling on the strike threats over public sector pensions though I would expect the pollsters that are out in the field this weekend, including ICM and I think MORI, will have included something on what could be the big issue in the coming months. What’s going to be critical is public opinion and whether voters buy the line that all this is inevitable because we are…
Could his stance have wider implications? Just seven weeks after his triumphal victory in the Holyrood elections SNP leader Alex Salmond is at the centre of a row entirely of his own making which could cost him dear. He’s refusing to back down after making comments in a magazine which are said to undermine the independence of the judiciary. He also singled out a prominent Scottish lawyer. Last night’s main news programme on STV gives a real flavour of the…
But did they switch to the blues BEFORE the paper did? We all recall, I’m sure, the front page of the Sun for its edition on September 30th 2009 – the day after Gordon Brown had made his big speech in the final Labour conference before the general election. I was at the Brighton conference and well remember the fury of delegates – not just at the paper’s decision but at the fact that it was timed to cause maximum…
HenryG predicts that we’ll see the charity approach again This week Ed Miliband caught David Cameron out over the reduction of support for 7,000 cancer patients. His questions and knowledge exploited one of the Prime Minister’s few weak-spots –his haziness over detail and desire to be a caring Conservative. The fact that these figures came from the charity MacMillan was crucial. It meant that it was very difficult for the Government to challenge and discredit the source either during the…
Do the unions scent blood? One of the downsides about getting a reputation for policy U-turns is that your opponents might think that with a bit more pressure then they’ll get what they want. If you’ve changed your mind over NHS reforms and relatively minor matters such as forestry policy and school milk then you can see union leaders thinking it will only be a matter of time before pressure on, say, public sector pensions will show a return. That’s…
Can she eclipse Palin for the Tea Party vote? The big news in the race for the Republican nomination for the 2012 elections has been the emergence of Michele Bachmann, a 55 year old tax lawyer turned congress-woman, who fourth favourite in the betting. This week saw the CNN candidates’ debate in New Hampshire and afterwards almost all the pundits said that she and Romney came out best. The AP video above gives a good feel of her position. In…
PMQs is about more than winning the argument After last week’s performance and the weekend press coverage all eyes were on the Labour leader at PMQs. He simply could not be seen to fail again. His strategy was something that has worked against Cameron before – raising something that’s very specific in the expectation that Dave is not aware of the detail. Today his attack was based on figures Macmillan that suggest that 7,000 cancer patients stood to lose £94…
Are pensions the issue that’ll spark off public sector strikes? Yesterday’s results of strike ballots by the teaching unions, the NUT and ATL, looks set to be followed by other public sector unions opposed to plans to scale back pension benefits The 92% strike vote by NUT members and the 82% one by the ATL, traditionally the most moderate of the teaching unions, highlights the scale of the challenge. Those are big majorities and ministers could be faced with a…