Could one of the three main leaders be out in 2009? In the panel are the prices in the Ladbrokes leader markets for 2009. The question is whether there is any value in any of them? Is Brown going to survive and if so is the 4/11 you can get a good bet? I’m not wholly sure because if the polls went sharply against him then would the party be so forgiving again? Could there be a forceful challenge or…
For the second year running StJohn has produced a crossword for our Christmas day entertainment. Thanks to StJohn for his creativity and best of luck to all who try to do it. Clues Across 1. Institution created by punter and followed by St.John. (11) 7. Army right for a sailor? (3) 9. Stationery used for sheet music? (9) 10.Foot’s problem didn’t start the organisation of workers. (5) 11.Speaker has one in The Green Man- a short one! (7) 12.Mother covered…
Thanks to you for all your support this year, for your contributions and for making the site by far the most important and busiest online political discussion forum in the UK. Thanks for your civility and general good manners which has enabled PB to continue to be a place where people of all allegiances have been able to come and publish instantly without the need for heavy moderation. Thanks especially to those who have provided insight and information to help…
The latest from our great addition to the PB team One of the great things to happen to PB during 2008 has been the arrival of Marf – our cartoonist who used to work for the London Evening Standard. Her work, which is normally up four times a week, has added a different and often biting dimension to the site. Her humour can be savage, particularly when combined with her brilliant drawing. It’s great to have to her on board….
What about him getting his old job back? One of the top ten political betting tips listed in my 2007 book, The Political Punter, was that if ever there was a chance to have a wager on something involving David Blunkett – then get your money on. For there was a period when the ups and downs of the visually handicapped Sheffield MP provided a steady income for those who liked gambling on politics. Who can forget the huge media…
Could his replacement once again become an issue? One thing that we’ve learned about Gordon in the past eighteen months is that he thrives when things are going his way. Cast your mind back to his supreme confidence in the July – September 2007 period and just look at how he has been transformed in the past three months. But what if it starts to go wrong again? What if the couple of polls at the end of 2008 turn…
What do we think of ComRes’s tax and spend findings? The main lead in the Independent this morning is based on the responses to what I believe is a novel form of polling from the latest ComRes survey in which the headline figures showed a Tory 5% lead. For the pollster then went on to ask a series of questions of how respondents would vote in a number of different scenarios and then reported the findings applying the same weighting…
CONSERVATIVES 39% (+2) LABOUR 34% (-2) LIB DEMS 16% (+2) Has the move to Labour run out of steam? What is surely the final opinion poll of 2008, from ComRes for tomorrow’s Independent, will bring some relief for the Tories who are up two points to 39% with Labour down a point to 35% two points to 34%. The Lib Dems are also up. For the last two ComRes polls both had the Tories on 37% just one point ahead…