Who’s winning the expectations game?

Who’s winning the expectations game?

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Did the opposition over-egg the imminence of the cuts? Now that this week’s spending review has been and gone, some people might be surprised to find that not only does the world continues to turn but pretty much everything else carries on as before, for now. Certainly, there will be restrictions on spending and some functions of government will find their budgets under a lot of strain – but not yet. Likewise, there are tax rises in the pipeline (literally…

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Will the Woolas case change the way elections are fought?

Will the Woolas case change the way elections are fought?

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Whatever the outcome could the judgement set the standards? Exactly two weeks from today the judges in the Phill Woolas case will give their judgements on the way he and Labour carried out their campaign to hold onto Oldham East and Saddleworth. This is the first case of its kind over a Westminster seat in nearly a century and the judgement is likely to set the standards for future elections. For if the verdict goes against the ex-Labour minister who…

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Is this why I can keep my oldies’ bus pass?

Is this why I can keep my oldies’ bus pass?

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YouGov 23/10/10 All 18-24 25-39 40-59 60 plus CON 41 35 38 39 47 LAB 40 44 43 41 36 LD 10 12 11 10 8 And the older you the more you are likely to vote Just look at the age splits from the latest YouGov poll. Labour is leading in every segment up to the age of 59. Then the 60 plus groups come in and there’s a massive margin for the Tories. Funny that – we oldies…

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Could Tower Hamlets put Livingstone under pressure?

Could Tower Hamlets put Livingstone under pressure?

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The Docklands 24 Will Labour’s NEC act against Ken? The big election news overnight was the result of the contest for the elected mayor of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and the overwhelming defeat of the official Labour candidate in an area where the party has traditionally been very strong. This is the biggest election there’s been since Ed Miliband became leader a month and the failure of the party to win can only be regarded as a big…

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Should Labour’s first priority be to avoid the blame?

Should Labour’s first priority be to avoid the blame?

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Do the winners always write the history? One of the dangers for Labour, magnified during the coverage over the past couple of days, is that the coalition are placing much of the blame for what’s happened on the last government. All the painful measures that ministers are announcing are predicated with the argument that this is all required because they are having to “clear up the mess that was bequeathed to them”. The message that the coalition is trying to…

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MORI finds growing support for the need for cuts

MORI finds growing support for the need for cuts

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But voters split over whether the plans are right Ipsos-MORI has got the first post-CSR poll out and finds both good and bad news for the coalition. While overall there is acceptance that cuts are needed the public is evenly split on whether the government has made the right decisions. A total of 41% think it has made the right decisions and 38% the wrong decisions. Those who voted Conservative at the general election are most likely to think the…

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Will the coalition get blamed when the cuts are specific?

Will the coalition get blamed when the cuts are specific?

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The first reaction to the cuts statements There was a little bit of polling last night about the spending review but most of the fieldwork for the YouGov daily poll took place before the CSR statement was made. An interesting angle comes from the firm’s Anthony Wells – who runs UKPR. He wrote:- “The most interesting question there though was who people thought was to blame. 30% said the coalition and 34% said the last Labour government. Compare that to…

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