SkyNews Could we see disruption on a massive scale? By comparison with the 70s and 80s modern industrial action has had relatively little impact on the lives of the public – with the possible exception of London tube passengers and some people flying BA. What’s made an impression on me in the past year is how difficult it’s been for some unions to make their action effective. BA managed to operate a significant proportion of its flights during the recent…
Betfair Politics What else could change the betting in the next 11 days? With just a week and a half to go before the Labour leadership race comes to an end there’ve been big moves in the betting following the Sunday Times YouGov poll of members and trade unionists suggesting that the younger Miliband brother has moved into a small lead. On Saturday evening before the news came out the EdM price on Betfair was 4/1. That’s moved in to…
Stuart Dickson previews next Sunday’s election in Sweden Are the Swedish Social Democrats, the most successful labour party in the world, about to have their worst general election since 1908? As an undergraduate studying economics at Strathclyde University in the late 80s, I can remember our lecturers spending time on expositions of the Middle Way between capitalism and communism, exemplified by the Swedish Model or Folkhemmet (The Peoples’ Home). At that time of my life I thought of myself as…
Members Trade unionists MPs/MEPs Ed Miliband 52 (+2) 57 (+13) 44 (-1) David Miliband 48 (-2) 43 (-13) 56 (+1) Could DaveM suffer from the David Davis effect? At last! A new YouGov poll of party members and those trade unionists who are able to vote in Labour’s leadership election – and how things have changed since the last such survey at the end of July. A key part of David Miliband’s strategy as he’s sought to win the Labour…
New YouGov poll points to Ed Miliband victory The Press Association is reporting the following: The Labour leadership contest remains too close to call with one poll suggesting Ed Miliband could snatch victory by a narrow margin. A survey of Labour members and trade unionists by YouGov for the Sunday Times showed bookies’ favourite David Miliband enjoying a narrow lead on first preferences. But the pollster calculated that once lower-ranking candidates were eliminated and their second choices redistributed the younger…
Watch the programme for yourself here.
What chance of this government privatising Royal Mail? The privatisation of Royal Mail has been floated as a possible sale for a long time. The Conservative government under John Major seriously considered it. Peter Mandelson, under both Blair and Brown wanted to part-privatise it. In the end though, reform was minimal and it remains under government control. What chance of the government getting its way this time – and what cost? To answer that, the best thing to do is…
What do last night’s results say about current opinion? The background Imagine the scene: You’re the chief executive of a local council who has been told that unitary status has been granted. So you then make all the changes needed but then a general election is held, a new coalition government comes in and says “You know that unitary status you’ve been granted, we’re not that convinced!” That’s precisely what happened to Norwich and Exeter and last night both councils…