Could the next President be a woman?

Could the next President be a woman?

Betfair opens new White House 2008 market In just over a year’s time the potential candidates to be the next President will have to reveal their hands. For in order to get on the ballot for the first of the primaries, New Hampshire, formal nomination papers will have to be handed in during November and there’ll be fierce contest in both parties. And for the first time ever in the USA’s 230 year old history prominent women are being talked…

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Anthony Wells lauches new Election Guide

Anthony Wells lauches new Election Guide

See for yourself the efffects of the boundary changes Anthony Wells, the person behind UK Polling Report, has this afternoon launched the latest version of his Election Guide – available online here. It’s a mine of information that we are sure to be looking at time and time again in the run up to the next General Election. Anthony (pictured above at the PBC party earlier in the year talking to a shy Guido hiding behind his beer glass) has…

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ICM gives the Tories a 6% lead

ICM gives the Tories a 6% lead

..and Brown trails 11% on “who would be best PM” In the first public poll after the conference season ICM in the Sunday Telegraph is reporting a big increase in the Tory lead and some poor figures for the Chancellor over “who would make the best Prime Minister”. The shares with comparisons on the last ICM poll a week ago are CON 38% (+2): LAB 32% (-3): LD 20%(+1). This is the second biggest lead that the pollster has had…

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Betfair opens US mid-terms markets

Betfair opens US mid-terms markets

Will the Republicans be able to hang on? With just three and a half weeks to go the betting exchange, Betfair, has now opened a range of markets on what will surely be the most important elections in the world during 2006 – the mid terms. Currently, the Republicans run both houses of Congress, but the outcome in November 2006 seems in doubt given the unpopularity both of President Bush and Congress. If the Democrats win one or both houses,…

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Coral’s ease Labour’s General Election price to 6/4

Coral’s ease Labour’s General Election price to 6/4

Will the market moves be reflected in post conference polls? The latest best price on Labour winning most seats at the next General Election has now eased to 6/4. The online bookmaker offering the odds, Corals, has also tightened the Tories to 1/2. So a winning £100 bet on Labour would produce a £150 profit while a Tory backer making a similar sized bet could only look forward to winnings of just £50. For the potential wininngs on the Tories…

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Sean Fear’s local election commentary

Sean Fear’s local election commentary

How the Parties Are Performing? None of the three main parties can take that much comfort from their performance in local by-elections since the start of July. In all contests during that period, the Conservatives have made a net loss of 1 seat, Labour are unchanged, the Liberal Democrats have made a net gain of 6, Scottish and Welsh nationalists have made a net gain of 2, and Others have made a net loss of 7. There have been a…

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….and the “Hug-a-Hoodie” prize competition winner is for…

….and the “Hug-a-Hoodie” prize competition winner is for…

In July we launched a competition on what Cameron would do in his speech to follow “hug a hoodie”. We asked what’s going to be next? Clearly it had to be something that was so distant from what you would expect to hear from a Tory leader that it will, at first, appear totally shocking. We’ve had three or four entrants making claims but I’ve decided to award the prize to David Herdson. His entry posted on July 23rrd was:-…

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Dear Mr Betfair: a Deputy leadership market please

Dear Mr Betfair: a Deputy leadership market please

Why can’t we bet on Labour’s other battle? The overnight headlines following Jack Straw’s comments about Muslim women wearing the veil has fueled further speculation about the Deputy Leadership chances of the former Foreign Secretary and leader of the House, Jack Straw. Were his comments, which he must have realised would attract the big headlines, part of his plan to raise his profile ahead of next year’s election to choose John Prescott’s succession? He’s quoted as saying that before going…

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