Who’ll be next after Ed?

Who’ll be next after Ed?

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Where’s the value in the next Labour leader stakes? Following HenryG’s interesting article yesterday tipping Priti Patel, I thought I’d return the favour and look at the contenders for Next Labour leader. One of the biggest variables in Next Leader markets is timing. With Labour, it should be easier and the default assumption should be that the election will be in Autumn 2015. It will only be before then if Miliband’s deposed (or becomes indisposed), or if there’s an early…

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Should you take HenryG’s 50-1 tip for Tory leader?

Should you take HenryG’s 50-1 tip for Tory leader?

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Will Patel be to Thatcher what Cameron is to Heath? Although I’m a Labour bloke, two of my best political bets have come on Conservative leadership contests where I am now 2 from 2. I successfully backed Iain Duncan Smith at a whopping 33/1 and David Cameron at very tasty 11/1. I think it is worth me dipping my toe in the market at this early stage following a nagging feeling that I’ve seen the next Conservative leader. There is…

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How Balls dealt with similar claims last year

How Balls dealt with similar claims last year

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A look again at his grilling by Andrew Neil This is from the BBC1 “This Week” programme during the 2010 Labour leadership election. Interestingly the lines he used with Andrew Neil are very similar to his reactions today. His problem is that so much has been written about the period and the revelations just seem to underpin what is already known. It’s hard to see how this won’t impinge on his leadership hopes. Mike Smithson

Is all this about stopping Balls from over-throwing Miliband?

Is all this about stopping Balls from over-throwing Miliband?

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SkyNews What’s behind the “Brown plot” revelations? Those who’ve read the accounts of the Brown-Blair wars, particularly those by Andrew Rawnsley and Anthony Seldon, won’t find much to surprise them in the overnight revelations in the Daily Telegraph. What this does is to flesh out what was already in the public domain with the remarkable added realism of hand-written jottings on documents by Gordon Brown and Ed Balls. That the paper has documentary evidence of Brown in 2005 telling Balls…

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But what does this mean for today’s politics?

But what does this mean for today’s politics?

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Will it have interest beyond political anoraks? Just looking at tomorrow Telegraph splash and reading the some of the documents from Brown camp that have been leaked I’m trying to work out what relevance this will all have for today. This was all six years ago – some of the players are still there others are gone. Ed Miliband and Balls, his shadow chancellor were all closely involved but do the public really give a damn? I suppose that it…

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Are we seeing the resurrection of Mr. Brown?

Are we seeing the resurrection of Mr. Brown?

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Is he blamed unfairly for Labour’s defeat? There’s a new book out by some of the main figures associated with Ipsos-MORI, Robert Worcester, Roger Mortimore, Paul Baines and Mark Gill, which seeks to offer further analysis of last years general election. It’s called “Explaining Cameron’s Coalition” and whenever I get a review copy I’ll be able to discuss it in more detail. What’s being said about the book so far is that it suggests that the widespread perception that Gordon…

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If Ed Miliband did step down then who?

If Ed Miliband did step down then who?

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A run-down of possible contenders Ed Miliband’s latest PMQs performance will do nothing to stop the murmuring within the party against him and Ladbrokes have him at just 2/1 that he’ll go before the general election. But if he was to step aside voluntarily then who would take over. These are my comments on those priced at 25/1 or shorter in the betting. Possible Odds Comment David Miliband 5/1 He had his chance last autumn and his current absence from…

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