Who came out best from the first hustings? This afternoon’s hustings for the 10 MPs seeking to take over from Michael Martin a week today was both an entertaining event and very instructive for all those interested in the political process. Each of them made good cases and my sense overall is that this could be a lot closer then we thought. My ratings:- Margaret Beckett (Lab) Came over reasonably well, dealt effectively with the issue of her being a…
Sky News April 12 2009 Surely there’s no truth in the reports that he’s back? James Forsyth at the Spectator Coffee House blog is running a report that there are unconfirmed reports that the disgraced Number 10 spin doctor and former right hand man to the PM, Sean Damien McBride, is “actively working for Labour again”. I simply don’t believe it. For given everything associated with McBride’s exit in April and all the promises last Monday that Brown had turned…
Could my 200/1 bet come good? He’s everywhere and seems to be involved in everything and there’s little doubt that the big winner of the Brown leadership wobble was Peter Mandelson. (To save pressure on the server I won’t itemise his full titles!) It was his calm intervention, of course, in the hours after James Purnell resigned that calmed Labour down and controlled the nature of the crisis. Quite what he said (and promised?) to the key players late on…
Was last week about him buying a “dignified exit”? Of all the Labour-leaning bloggers the one I have the most respect for is Paul Linford who consistently has insights about the party which set him apart. His weekend reflections on the future for Gordon and Labour are a case in point and are a must read for those trying to work out what the next eleven months will bring. “…What Mr Brown has done over the past week is not…
It seems difficult to believe that only a week ago we were still awaiting the European Parliamentary election results. Indeed, there’s been so much going on that it’s worth revisiting one of the more important announcements that could have profound betting implications. Gordon Brown’s statement to parliament last Wednesday floated various ideas under the broad headline of ‘democratic renewal’, amongst which was electoral reform, on which the government has promised “consultationâ€. It ought to be politically difficult for Labour to…
CON 40 (+3) LAB 24(+2) LD 18 (-1) Half those polled say Brown is “damaging Britain” In its first full Westminster voting intention survey since the Euro elections the Sunday Times YouGov poll shows that the other parties are continuing to figure highly getting `18% of the choices of those in the sample. YouGov show that both the Tories and Labour are seeing increases in their vote shares – though Brown’s party is still in the low 20s. UKIP is…
It’s getting beyond the time when we normally gets news of any polls for the Sunday papers. I was expecting at least an ICM if only because JohnLoony, for the first time in his life, was interviewed by the firm earlier in the week. It might still come. The last ICM Westminster poll had Labour in third place behind the Lib Dems. Will that still be the situation whenever a poll comes out from the firm? My guess is probably…
What does Downing Street want from the election? In many ways the arch-Thatcherite turn progressive, John Bercow, seems the ideal candidate to replace Michael Martin. He’s bright, a good communicator and a record of not being beholden to any faction. If he gets elected a week on Monday you could see him operating in a totally independent manner that might just make life harder for Number 10. And it is this that makes me think that the chances of him…