Ex-Pber, David Herdson, joins the Yorkshire party
A reaction to today’s rail annoucement These are his reasons:
Johnson’s Nightmare November continues with another bad poll
CON 37%-2 LAB 37%+2 LD 10%+1 GRN 4% Yet another pollster, Survation, has the Tories losing their poll lead although it has the main parties level pegging. The real meat of the poll which should worry Number 10 are perceptions about integrity and honesty which have been sparked off by the botched handling of Owen Paterson. On the reputation of the Government, 59% said they do not believe the government upholds the Nolan principle of integrity, and 62% do not believe…
The betting gets tighter in North Shropshire
Are punters too influenced by Chesham & Amersham? The above is a canvassing leaflet produced by the Lib Dems in North Shropshire and as can be seen shows the central focus of the by-election campaign. The party is making this about Tory sleaze helped by the fact that the reason there is a by-election at all is because of the resignation of the previous MP Owen Paterson. It had appeared that there was going to be a recall petition which…
How the most ill-tempered PMQs in years is being reported
For the Tories Bexley & Sidcup could not have come at a worse time
At GE2019 the Tories won 64.5% of the vote in Old Bexley and Sidcup with LAB on just 23.5% so on the face of it a “certain” CON hold. Yet that is not how it is seen. Starmer’s party is throwing a lot at the seat and clearly, the political climate for a Tory defence is far from ideal. Inevitably corruption and MPs second jobs have evolved as key issues. When the Tories held the seat at GE2019 the overall…
Date for your diary: PB Gathering – Feb 3rd 2022
It has been a long time coming but I am delighted to announce that the first PB Gathering since before GE2017 is scheduled to take place on February 3rd next year. Smarkets, the betting exchange that is expanding rapidly in political markets, have agreed to host the event at their offices close to the Tower of London. Thanks to Quincel (Pip Moss) and to Matthew Shaddick of Smarkets for driving this. In the past, these events have been a great…
Johnson’s great HS3 gamble
The Northern media gears up for a fight As seen above six leading regional newspapers from Tyneside to Manchester all had similar front pages as part of a coordinated last ditch effort to save Northern Powerhouse Rail which looks as though it will be ditched on Thursday by the government. The move by the papers should be seen as a warniing to ministers of the likely political reaction. This is a project that includes HS3 between Manchester and Leeds with…
What Price Shoes?
The Biblical parable of the mustard seed teaches us that even the tiniest beginnings can grow into something very large. An example from history of this is a man who didn’t want to buy new footwear. It led to his downfall and death, an inter-empire war, and played a significant role in the rapid early rise of Islam. Emperor Maurice of the Eastern Roman Empire had a surprisingly good relationship with his Sassanid counterpart Chosroes, having sheltered the young man…