Could the AAA rating be lost? There’s been lots of talk about the possibility of Britain losing its triple A credit rating and there’ve been dire forecasts of the consequences of such a decision. But just how likely is it? What do we think of the new PaddyPower betting market?. The firm is offering 6/4 against the possibility that Great Britain to lose its AAA Rating before Jan 31st 2010. The bet will be settled according to the assessment of…
Your papers Mr. Darling Here is a selection is selection of today’s front pages from Sky News and the coverage is almost universally negative for Mr. Darling and for the government. The only paper that seeks to put a positive slant on it is the ultra-loyal Daily Mirror which has been doing this for the party for decades. If this was meant to be the platform to launch Labour’s election campaign then the best that can be said is that…
Is it worth risking money on the Martin prediction? Iain Martin in his WSJ blog writes:- …It seems obvious that it was aimed at an election earlier than May, with polling day probably on March 25. In this scenario, Brown would ask the Queen for a dissolution after Parliament returns from its two-week recess on Monday, Feb. 22. That would lead into a four-week-and-a-bit campaign… A March 25 election date would also help Labour on two fronts. The party machine…
BBC News How will this be viewed in Tory targets 100-150? Well there we have it. Darling’s PBR which will frame much of the political debate as we move into the final months of this parliament. The strategy seemed fairly obvious – defer the pain until after polling day. But is this going to be enough? Will voter’s see through it? How, most importantly, is this going to be viewed in Tory targets 100-150 where the election will be decided….
Follow today’s events as they unfold on PB Alistair Darling is expected to announce a 50% tax on bank bonuses, with a threshold possibly as low as £10,000 – story here. How does the Chancellor plan to halve the deficit within four years, and how will he tread the tightrope between the demands of the markets and the demands of the electorate? 1200 PMQs 1230 Pre-Budget Report Live coverage BBC PBR site BBC Parliament Double Carpet
Will this be Labour’s last Set-Piece before Polling Day? The pre-Budget Report is when the government is meant to set out its spending plans for the year, although it’s more and more taken on the aspect of a mini-budget in its own right. In addition to the economic predictions and expenditure figures, last year’s PBR cut VAT, increased duty on alcohol, tobacco and petrol, and scheduled in increases in Income Tax and National Insurance. If today’s PBR is as active…
O Ye Of Little Faith It’s said in life only two certainties exist – the grim reapers of the Inland Revenue and the ultimate Grim Reaper. In the past year of Britains political life there would also appear to have been two certainties – A majority Conservative government and the Liberal Democrats gaining Watford, the latter still available at excellent odds !! Subsequent to the general election most political analysts have taken for granted Mrs Cameron boiling the eggs in…
The response to the PB polling question The week before last there was a thread in which site users were asked to suggest ideas that can be included in the regular polls that Angus Reid strategies carries out in the UK. There were dozens of different ideas and the following is the one that was chosen with the outcomes:- How will you chose which party to vote for? 29% – I will chose the party that will make me and…