A look at what happened the 2007 deputy race It keeps on getting raised on the threads that it might be useful to look once again at how Labour’s leadership election system operates. This has only been used twice – for the election of Tony Blair in 1994 and the race the deputy position in 2007. There are three strands to the electoral college each making 33.33%. Every eligible voters in each section will get a ballot paper asking them…
Fieldwork Pollster/Publication CON LAB LD OTH 10-11 June YouGov / Sunday Times 40 32 18 10 1- 9 June Harris/Metro 36 30 25 9 28-31 May ComRes / The Independent 37 33 21 9 21-23 May ICM / The Guardian 39 32 21 8 20-21 May YouGov / Sunday Times 39 32 21 7 13-14 May YouGov / Sunday Times 37 34 21 8 12-13 May ICMÂ / Sunday Telegraph 38 33 21 8 12-13 May ComRes / Independent on Sunday…
What’ll her presence do to the 2nd and 3rd prefs? John Rentoul, the Indy on Sunday’s columnist who is often said to be more Blairite than Blair, has taken up the cause of Mili-D in a big way. This is how he describes the ex-foreign sec’s move to provide a last minute nomination so that Diane Abbot could get on the ballot:- ..”What she will do, of course, is take votes away from the most left-wing of the other candidates…It…
Is Michael Ashcroft right to vent his spleen? According to the News of the World’s political editor, Ian Kirby, the Tory fundraiser who became the target of Labour attacks, Michael Ashcroft, is writing a book in which he’s hugely crititcal of the Tory general election campaign and David Cameron’s leadership. A particular focus is said to be “the decision to put David Cameron alongside Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg in the three TV debates.” Ashcroft is right about their impact…
YouGov – Labour leadership All voters Lab voters Public sector David Miliband 22 (-1) 38 (+4) 21 Diane Abbott 13 (+4) 9 (+2) 16 Ed Miliband 7 (-1) 11 (-2) 9 Ed Balls 5 (-1) 8 (-2) 7 Andy Burnham 4 (nc) 6 (+2) 6 But we need polling of the members and the unions The latest polling on public views of the Labour contests suggests that this is still about name recognition though the Abbott camp will be pleased…
Is it time to stop feather-bedding the oldies? Remember the dramatic month of September 2007. Big new public spending announcement were being made by the day as the Brown government was preparing the ground for an autumn general election. One of those bribes was, for the over-60s in England, the national bus pass scheme which allows free travel anywhere in the country on local services. It’s great – I love it. Not only does it give me free travel near…
Is Osborne playing double-or-nothing on England? New Labour, when it was new, had its Grid: a careful plan of big national and international events around which those running the party would schedule their own campaign launches, policy announcements, events and so on. It worked very well at the time though it did help that it had a largely friendly media and opponents who were outclassed on that score and, for that matter, that Labour was in opposition (it’s always harder…
Is Labour’s election a pollster’s nightmare? With Labour leadership polls expected in the next few days it’s worth reminding ourselves that we should not pay too much attention, or risk too much cash, on findings so far ahead of the ballot. At this stage, three months before the ballots went out, in the 2005 Tory race the Betfair price on then shadow home secretary, David Davis had tightened to 0.47/1. YouGov polling had him emphatically beating David Cameron in a…