Is there betting value in the birthplace of democracy?

Is there betting value in the birthplace of democracy?

Greece votes on Sunday with New Democracy the favourites Despite the recent fires which ravaged parts of the Peloponnese and the island of Evia near Athens, Greece will hold a snap general election on Sunday as planned, from 7am to 7pm local time. The parliamentary term was set to last until March, but speculation has arisen that the poll has been held early as the government feared the fallout from a bond scandal which looked set to intensify later this…

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Is it time for a market on the EU Treaty?

Is it time for a market on the EU Treaty?

One of the hottest topics in UK politics – but no betting market Whatever your views on whether or not the UK should hold a referendum on the EU Treaty, and regular readers of pb.com will know that there is passionate debate on the subject, the fact remains that there is as yet no chance for punters to back their hunches with a betting market on the subject. Pressure continues to build on Gordon, and this week’s TUC conference will…

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The UK’s Benchmark Seats – Part 2

The UK’s Benchmark Seats – Part 2

A guest article by Harry Hayfield Labour majority of 50: Sittingbourne and Sheppey : Lab GAIN from Con (Swing: 0.03% to Labour) Sittingbourne and Sheppey is another case of a seat turned upside down thanks to the Boundary Commission (although you’d be very hard pressed to see any changes on a map) turning a Lab majority of 79 into a Con majority of 22. I should point out though that Sittingbourne isn’t usually that marginal though. Go back to 1983…

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…. and in the papers this Sunday

…. and in the papers this Sunday

Politics stories at a newsagent near you The McCanns feature as the lead story on virtually all the newspapers. The Sunday Times reports that leading bankers are warning of the worst money markets crisis for 20 years coming to a head this week, and that the Conservatives are planning to offer tax cuts for people who make homes more energy-efficient. In the Observer, Andrew Rawnsley accuses Gordon of hugging his opponents to death while the editorial fulminates that the current…

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Have the Argies created a rugby headache for Gord?

Have the Argies created a rugby headache for Gord?

Who does he support if Scotland play England? When the draw was made for the Rugby World Cup there was probably a sigh of relief within Team Brown that the chances of Scotland having to play England seemed remote. But one of the consequences of France’s shock defeat by Argentina last night is that it makes the prospect of such a clash look more likely. For assuming matches go broadly to form then Scotland looked set to end up in…

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The UK economy – after the turmoil, what next for mortgages?

The UK economy – after the turmoil, what next for mortgages?

A guest article by Ray Boulger The impact of the credit crunch caused by the US sub prime mortgage mis-lending is still spreading through the global markets and rarely a day passes without at least one UK sub prime lender, let alone US lenders, announcing an increase in rates and/or a tightening of criteria. The speed and scale with which the problems have spread around the globe is unprecedented and banks and investors are now so frightened of what they…

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No Sign of a Brown Bounce in Local Elections

No Sign of a Brown Bounce in Local Elections

Sean Fear’s Friday slot Several contributors to this site have drawn attention to the fact that there has been no evidence that the improvement in Labour’s polling position, since Brown became Prime Minister, has not fed through into local election results. They are quite correct. There have been 17 seats in England that have been contested by all three main parties since the start of July, which were last contested in 2006 or 2007, when the Conservatives had a very…

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Friday news round-up

Friday news round-up

Today’s stories at home and abroad A selection of stories today that may be of interest: A cross-party group of MPs has said “they are confident” that a new campaign will pressure Gordon into holding a referendum on the EU Treaty – are they right? The TUC leader Brendan Barber has warned that Brown’s pay deal for public sector workers could cost him a “political price”; … and Johan Eliasch, who stepped down as the Conservatives’ deputy treasurer, is set…

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