Could the coalition be heading for a string of by-election losses?

Could the coalition be heading for a string of by-election losses?

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Is the answer a blue-yellow incumbents’ pact? One thing that strikes me following Old & Sad is that Labour is in a stronger position to gain seats in parliamentary by-elections than any opposition party has been for decades. For where SNP/PC considerations don’t apply the red team will always be the unequivocal choice for those wanting to oppose the government. The protest vote won’t be split. Normally they’ve had to have a spat with the yellows over who is best…

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The Lords filibuster goes on..and on..

The Lords filibuster goes on..and on..

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Can Labour’s peers stop the bill? The marathon and unprecedented overnight sitting of the House of Lords is still going on. As I write at 6.25am, Lord Kinnock, the former Labour leader and not someone known for his brevity, has just got to his feet so one can assume that there’s a lot of life in this yet. Whenever things have been put to the vote the government has had comfortably majorities. The debate on the government’s plans for an…

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Marf on Monday

Marf on Monday

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After her return last week Marf, PB’s cartoonist, is hoping to make contributions to the site on a regular basis – tonight on the NHS changes. Welcome back Marf – we really missed you. Mike Smithson

Will Alan Johnson take an “Estelle pill”?

Will Alan Johnson take an “Estelle pill”?

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Guest slot by Chilon on the Shadow Chancellor Alan Johnson has an awful lot to be proud of. Orphaned at 12, raised by his 15 year old sister in a south London council flat, the shelf stacker and postman who rose to lead his union, Alan Johnson is from a different mould to leading Labour politicians of today. As a minister, his natural confidence and panache when roused was clear – most notably in his willingness to take on Labour’s…

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Will this 2004 decision cost Labour the 2015 election?

Will this 2004 decision cost Labour the 2015 election?

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BBC News archive How long will the Goodwin knighthood remain a live issue? I very much doubt that when in 2004 Tony Blair signed off Gordon Brown’s recommendation of a knighthood for the then RBS boss, Sir Fred Goodwin, that anybody had any idea that this would be a live political issue seven years later. At the time Goodwin was one of the UK’s must successful businessmen to be lauded and praised and, as it turned out, to be included…

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Jonathan asks: Is an Obama come-back now on the cards?

Jonathan asks: Is an Obama come-back now on the cards?

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A Sunday slot on next years’s White House race Whilst in the UK we’ve been focussed on the OE&S by-election, we have overlooked the dramatic events in America. Since the midterms, Obama has made a quiet comeback. He looked presidential this week and has recorded his first net approval ratings in months. In the meantime the GOP, who should have been celebrating control of the house, is on the back foot. What is really going on and what are the…

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Is Labour being flattered by the non-voters?

Is Labour being flattered by the non-voters?

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How much of the red support is from the “can’t be arsed”? One of the great things about the way Comres sets out the detailed data from its polls is that it includes a line on what those who didn’t vote at the last May say they plan to do next time. And from the latest poll we find that a move that I’ve identified before is that a significant part comes from those who didn’t vote at the general…

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EdM gets a by-election ratings boost

EdM gets a by-election ratings boost

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David Cameron David Cameron “doing well/badly” (YouGov) All (last week) CON voters LAB voters LD voters Well 45(-1) 96 9 76 Badly 48(+2) 3 89 23 Ed Miliband Ed Miliband “doing well/badly” (YouGov) All (last week) CON voters LAB voters LD voters Well 33 (+5) 17 66 32 Badly 43 (-6) 66 20 55 Nick Clegg Nick Clegg “doing well/badly” (YouGov) All (last week) CON voters LAB voters LD voters Well 30(nc) 63 4 74 Badly 60 (nc) 27 92…

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