Will the “Bloomberg Brown Review Index” cause Gord trouble?

Will the “Bloomberg Brown Review Index” cause Gord trouble?

Can review announcements continue at a weekly rate in 2008? The above story from the Westminster correspondent of the Bloomberg news agency focuses attention on a growing practice of the Brown government that could develop into an issue – the practice whereby almost any challenge that they face is met by the announcement of a review. The journalist, Robert Hutton, is now keeping a tally which, as of this week, has reached 31 since Gord and his gang took over…

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Is Labour being flattered by non-voters?

Is Labour being flattered by non-voters?

How a 1% Labour lead in the economy becomes a 4% deficit Much of yesterday’s coverage of the December Populus poll in the Times focuses on the fact that Brown-Balls’ party still has a lead on the economy even if only of just one per cent Yet were we getting a proper picture in the papers because, as has been noted here before, findings like this include the views of those who have little or no intention of voting –…

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Is now the time to buy Labour again?

Is now the time to buy Labour again?

CON 42%: (+1), LAB 35% (+3), LD 14% (-3) The massive face-to-face monthly survey by Ipsos-MORI involving a sample of 1859 has just been published. The changes above show the variations on the the firm’s November telephone poll where the sample was only about half the size. The firm’s latest Political Monitor shows the Conservatives with a 7-point lead and also that David Cameron has the best net satisfaction rating (+6) of any Conservative leader since John Major won the…

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Who will be the next Archbishop of Westminster?

Who will be the next Archbishop of Westminster?

Morus considers the runners and riders in the betting market Early in 2007, shortly before his 75th birthday as required, Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, the Cardinal-Archbishop of Westminster, tendered his resignation to Pope Benedict XVI. The response, whilst not unexpected, was not as warm as he might have hoped – he was asked to stay on until the Pope chooses otherwise. It is expected that His Holiness will indicate his preference for a change at Westminster Cathedral within the next 12 months….

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It’s Eight Daves from Populus

It’s Eight Daves from Populus

Times poll has Con 40 (+4), Lab 32 (-5), LD 16 (0) A Populus poll in the Times today confirms that the Conservatives are still holding a significant lead over Labour, with an 8-point advantage. Fieldwork for the poll was carried out over the weekend. The poll also shows that the big two parties are now level pegging on the economy, with Labour a single point ahead, while the Conservatives also have a 4-point lead on the taxes/public spending issue….

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Should Huckabee really be the favourite for the GOP nomination?

Should Huckabee really be the favourite for the GOP nomination?

Tied for second on Betfair and average 17 points ahead in the last two Iowa polls One of my first introductions to betting was John McCririck’s book on the subject which came out in the early 1990s. A concept that he mentions, which will be familiar to many users of pb, is that of the “steamer”, a runner whose price shortens dramatically – although as I’m sure that PtP and other racing experts will testify, simply because a horse is…

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Sunday papers round-up

Sunday papers round-up

Stories from today’s newspapers Firstly, very best wishes to Mike for a speedy recovery and thanks to everyone for their support and comments on the previous thread. I’ll aim to keep pb running in Mike’s absence, but would welcome any guest articles that people might like to contribute on any aspect of UK/international politics or betting, or indeed anything relevant on finance and economics. In particular, would any of the site’s many US experts like to contribute a beginner’s guide…

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Message from Mike

Message from Mike

I was admitted to hospital overnight (nothing too serious) but I’m likely to be out of action for a few days. If Paul Maggs or my son Robert want to post or just launch open threads that will keep the discussions going that will be great.