CON 43(-2) LAB 27(nc) LD 18 (+1) BPIX for the Mail on Sunday has:- CON 45 (nc) LAB 23(-3) LD 17 (nc) It is highly likely that the bulk of the fieldwork for both surveys took place BEFORE the expenses revelations. The changed shares on YouGov are based on the last survey from the pollster – not the last survey in the Sunday Times. The BPIX poll is in the Mail on Sunday. We have no Lib Dem shares at…
1971 Guidelines: The Additional Costs Allowance reimburses “for expenses wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred when staying overnight away from their main UK residence…for the purposes of performing Parliamentary duties. This excludes expenses that have been incurred for purely personal or political purposes.” The Green Book 2009: Members are cautioned against instances “where they may appear to be vulnerable to criticism or accusations of impropriety.” It also reminds MPs that their conduct should be placed concepts of “selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability,…
Will the “good guys” find it easier to hold on? With the Daily Telegraph dominated by pages of new revelations about expenses the thought strikes me that we ought to start watching out for the impact on marginal seats – particularly those where there are betting markets. For those MPs who’ve attracted the worst coverage are going to find it that bit harder to hang on when the general election comes. Their opponents, assuming they are smart, are going to…
She’s the one who fought to get the info out After 24 hours dominated by the MP expenses affair we should not forget the work of the woman whose tireless efforts and sheer tenacity were responsible for getting us to where we are today. Heather Brook is the one who started the long and difficult process of using the Freedom of Information Act to try to find out the expenses that were being paid. This was no easy battle and…
BBC Daily Politics Was Labour right to attack the messenger? There seems to be have been a determined effort by leading Labour figures to deal with part 1 of the Telegraph expenses expose by attacking the messenger – the paper itself. Veteran MP Stuart Bell was on the Daily Politics programme and others this morning were making the same point as though it was not the fault of greedy MPs at all but the beastly press who might have even…
Is he today’s biggest loser from the expenses fracas? This is David Miliband – third favourite in the betting to succeed Gordon Brown as leader of the Labour party and someone who less than a year ago looked as though he might succeed. How the party must be relieved today that his half-hearted bid for the top last July/August fell flat? For otherwise party spinners would have to be explaining such things as why he’d sought to reclaim from us…
Daily Telegraph Is it good news for Alan Johnson backers? What an amazing period for political news this is? Last night I went to bed just as the Telegraph’s expenses expose was breaking and I’m only now catching up – so apologies for not getting a specific thread up earlier. What’s really startling is that the paper is promising more, much more, to come and this will include other parties parties and backbenchers. Will what’s revealed this morning be countered…
Wales (4 seats) If Scotland in 1979 was a two party, Wales in 1979 was a one party state, and that party was Labour. Callaghan may have lost the general election (but Wales served Labour well, as they polled 48% of the Welsh vote) and winning 23 seats of the 40 that were created in 1983. However just as at the moment the Conservatives started their march and by 1983 (despite losing Montgomery to the Alliance) the Conservatives gained 3…