Could PM Cameron abolish the electoral bias to Labour?

Could PM Cameron abolish the electoral bias to Labour?

Is one of the prizes of victory controlling the system? One of the most disgraceful and anti-democratic features of the current government has been the way it has sought to fix the electoral system for party advantage and to ignore the Electoral Commission when it has called for changes to deal with potential voter fraud. This has been an outrageous use of power by ministers which might have set the precedent for the Tories to do the same if ever…

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Has Tony thwarted Gord’s first meeting goal?

Has Tony thwarted Gord’s first meeting goal?

Guardian Online What will this to do the “Euro-Obama Race” betting On the day of the inauguration William Hill set up a nice market – which of the top European leaders, Merkel, Sarkozy or Brown, would get to meet Obama first. Gord got the first phone call to the new man at the White House and there was briefing afterwards about a possible February meeting for him at the White House. This might still happen but we haven’t had any…

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The two clicks that all Tory backers should make

The two clicks that all Tory backers should make

Wikipedia Are they underestimating the challenge of LD incumbents? If you are thinking of betting on the Tories to get a reasonable-sized majority at the next election then can I suggest that you make two clicks. Firstly you should go to UKPollingReport’s list of Tory targets with the swing required and count up how many Lib Dem incumbents have to be toppled for Cameron to get into working majority territory. You’ll find that twenty-eight of the party’s top 128 targets…

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MEMO to MSM: Pre-2001 polls cannot be compared

MEMO to MSM: Pre-2001 polls cannot be compared

UKPollingReport Remember the days of the Labour over-staters? Yet again in discussing the latest YouGov poll we have seen a pile of rubbish from supposedly “expert” pundits who should know better. Just look at the polls above just as the 1997 general election was being declared. Look at the crazy Labour leads that were being forecasted. Compare them with the actual result. The issue, of course, is that all but ICM in 1997 were polling in the old-fashioned Labour over-stating…

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How big a screw-up was the “depression” word?

How big a screw-up was the “depression” word?

Does Brown need to be more careful at PMQs? There’s been a big spin operation going on from Number 10 this afternoon to “make clear” that when Brown said he thought the world was “in a depression” it was, as they say, a “slip of the tongue.” Not good particularly as it’s only a few weeks ago that his last big “slip of the tongue” led to the hiatus over him saying he was the “saviour of the world“. The…

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Labour slip back in C4 YouGov marginals poll

Labour slip back in C4 YouGov marginals poll

CONSERVATIVES 43% (nc) LABOUR 36% (-2) LIB DEMS 13% (+1) But are these seats so different from the norm? The figures above are taken Channel 4’s unique marginals poll and is the third of a series that has been commissioned by the channel. The changes shown are on the last such survey published in October after the bail-out bounce. Fieldwork finished yesterday and the sample consisted of 2005 electors in in 60 seats where Labour’s majority (on the new boundaries)…

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Could the marginals bring a smile back to his face?

Could the marginals bring a smile back to his face?

How are the parties doing in the seats where it matters most? Later today I’m hoping that we’ll see the third in a polling series which is looking at the next election from a very specific viewpoint – what’s happening in the LAB>CON marginals where Labour is defending majorities of between 6 per cent and 14 per cent. For unlike normal voting intention polls where electors in the 600 or so seats across England, Scotland, and Wales can be involved,…

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