Is the Chief Whip feeding the conspiracy theorists?

Is the Chief Whip feeding the conspiracy theorists?

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Newcastle Journal What does this say about Labour and the Lib Dems? Thanks to Tapestry on the previous thread for highlighting the above report from the Newcastle Journal about the government chief whip and long-standing ally of the Prime Minister, Nick Brown. At the election he’ll be defending Newcastle upon Tyne East from the Lib Dems which would fall to Clegg’s party on an 8.7% swing So what are we to make of his extraordinary comments suggesting that the Lib…

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Could the pledge card work again for Labour?

Could the pledge card work again for Labour?

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How will 1997 tactics go down in 2010? One of the simple but effective campaign tools that Labour has used in its last three elections has been the pledge card – and given the results in 1997, 2001, and 2005 who can blame them for looking at the idea again. When it first appeared it was symbolic of the new professional communication approach that Tony Blair’s New Labour seemed to embody. It comes over as positive politics and puts the…

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Does the weather remind you of the winter of 78/79?

Does the weather remind you of the winter of 78/79?

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And we all know what happened in the election that followed Don’t forget to enter the PB 2010 Prediction Competition if you’ve not already done so, hosted by The Election Game, and asking for predictions on the election and ICM polls amongst others. The original thread is here and this is the direct link to the competition – entries close at midnight on Friday. Anyone interested in taking part in the 2010 Election Game season, please email me here –…

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How many of these will be MPs after the election?

How many of these will be MPs after the election?

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What are the chances on the Ladbrokes Indy market? In an excellent review of the Welsh marginals on PB2 Meurig rather ducked out of a prediction for Blaenau Gwent – what was previously Labour strongest seat in Wales that was lost, of course, after the all-women short-list row in 2005 and then held onto by independent Dai Davies in the by election a year later. This is a pity because it could be key in trying to figure out the…

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Can Brown avoid being dragged into this?

Can Brown avoid being dragged into this?

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Was Campbell being unhelpful to Tony’s successor? On the face of it the Iraq inquiry is now a side-show to the big political drama in the UK – the fight by Labour to stop the Tories winning an outright majority in the coming general election. Labour’s key players at the time – Tony Blair and Alistair Campbell – have now moved on though it’s said that the latter is playing a behind the scenes role in supporting Mr. Brown. So…

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Could this be a shock Number 1?

Could this be a shock Number 1?

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Simon & Garfunkel – Mrs Robinsonby Salut-les-copains PaddyPower make it a 5/1 shot I don’t know much about the world of pop music but I’ve been a life-long fan of Simon & Garfunkel. So what are we to make of the PaddyPower bet at 5/1 that “Mrs. Robinson” will make to Number 1 this month? An extraordinary coincidence given the name and the plot of that classic movie “The Graduate”. Mike Smithson

Is this the best hung parliament bet?

Is this the best hung parliament bet?

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Bet365 Should you be taking the 11/4 for 324 seat or fewer? Thanks to our regular betting poster, URW, for spotting this one – the 11/4 (in old money) or the 2.75 in the new parlance that Bet365 have on the Tories coming out with fewer that 325 seats. This total, of course, is the minimum that is required for a majority. Unlike the range of conventional hung parliament bets this covers you in all situations that Cameron Tories don’t…

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Is Angus Reid actually the best poll for Labour?

Is Angus Reid actually the best poll for Labour?

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Angus Reid Public Opinion It’s the only one showing them not shedding votes Our headline might sound counter-intuitive for the sixth survey in the PB/Angus Reid series, published last night, followed an established pattern and once again had 40-24-20 the smallest share for Labour of all the firms. Yet unlike all the other pollsters to have reported so far in 2010 Angus Reid is the only one that has the party currently led by Mr. Brown at the same level…

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