Could Hattie’s man come a cropper in Erdington?

Could Hattie’s man come a cropper in Erdington?

How would his selection go down with the locals? There’s a head of steam building up over the plans by Harriet Harman’s husband, Jack Dromey, to try to become Labour candidate in what has been the super-safe seat of Birmingham Erdington. Martin Kettle in the Guardian put it like this: “Not all appointments of family members are necessarily bad ones. But they pretty much all look bad. And they therefore bring dishonour not just upon the individuals involved, but upon…

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Why’s there been no budget day announcement?

Why’s there been no budget day announcement?

Does it say anything about the election timing? Chris A had an interesting point on the previous thread:- A year ago tomorrow the date for the 2009 budget was announced. It was the last day before the half term recess and gave over two months notice of the date. This year there has been no announcement and Parliament is now in recess and not back for almost two weeks. Maybe there isn’t going to be a budget this year –…

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AR finds a bigger swing in the LAB-CON marginals

AR finds a bigger swing in the LAB-CON marginals

CON 40% (33) LAB 28% (43) LD 15% (17) Are the blues are doing better where it matters? Today’s exclusive PB/Angus Reid poll was a standard national opinion survey making up its sample from 2,002 participants from constituencies all over Britain. It was not a specific marginals poll. But because of the size of the sample it has been possible to isolate that section of those surveyed who live in the main LAB>CON marginals. So the figures above are based…

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Labour closes the gap to 13 points in new PB/Angus Reid poll

Labour closes the gap to 13 points in new PB/Angus Reid poll

CON 38% (40) LAB 25% (24) LD 20% (19) And will “others” will be squeezed by polling day? There’s a new exclusive PB/Angus Reid poll just out where the fieldwork started on Tuesday and finished only last night. The shares are above and show the Tories down a touch with Labour at its highest ever recorded level with the online pollster. This is the first full national survey to have been carried out since the three Labour MPs and a…

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What’s the cumulative affect of all of this?

What’s the cumulative affect of all of this?

Something else to throw Brown Central off-stride? Another day and another book looking at what goes on within Gordon Brown’s Number 10 written by someone who was close to the heart of the party and government. The latest is by Lance Price, deputy to Tony Blair’s communications director Alastair Campbell and the first part of its serialisation starts today in the Independent. One extract goes: “…When he believes a story is running out of control or that – the worst…

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Should swing be worked out from these – not the result?

Should swing be worked out from these – not the result?

The 2005 final polls: C33% L38% LD23% – MORI C33% L38% LD22% – HARRIS C32% L37% LD25% – YouGov C32% L38% LD22% – ICM C32% L38% LD21% – Populus C33% L36% LD23% – NOP C33% L37% LD21% – BPIX C31% L39% LD23% – COMRES The 2005 result: C33.2% L36.2% LD22.7% Would this factor in likely Labour polling over-statement? In the past week while we’ve been putting the focus on what lead would produce a majority couple of PBers have emailed…

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So who’s winning the death tax skirmish?

So who’s winning the death tax skirmish?

How many of these will there be before the day? I love politics in the raw. It’s all a spectator sport when it’s how parties and leaders handle issues and who is gaining the advantage. We dissect it here to the nth degree and I for one relish every minute. So today’s spat between Dave and Gord was entirely predictable. Yesterday the poster featured above started going up and Labour had to respond fast. What’s being attacked, that a charge…

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Was the AV vote designed to put Clegg on the spot?

Was the AV vote designed to put Clegg on the spot?

Did Brown want the yellows to be favouring the reds? Just reflecting on last night’s commons vote on the alternative vote system I wonder whether the received opinion is wrong about Brown’s motives. The general presumption is that Labour hopes that Clegg and his party will now look at Labour more favourably in the unlikely event of a hung parliament. But hasn’t the aim been much more short-term than that? For the form of what’s described as “electoral reform” that’s…

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