Control Alt Delete
One of my criticisms of this Starmer government is that they don’t act like a government that won a majority of 174 last year, the epitaph so far is a government in office but not in power. TSE
Wigs at Dawn
It’s good to be provocative. But to describe Jenrick being a lawyer as his secret weapon because it makes them good leaders and the country loves lawyers is not so much provocative as …. well, let’s see, shall we. As for Jenrick, he may be a sh*t (© @DavidL) but he’s also a dreadful lawyer, as shown by his dealings with Richard Desmond in 2021 (pointed out by me here). About the only good thing to be said for him…
If you’re betting on the 2028 White House race take note
Alastair Meeks has forwarded me his exchange with Betfair which is something several of us have been pondering for a while, should Betfair list Donald Trump on the 2028 market and what happens if he runs in 2028 (or is allowed to run by the conservative majority on SCOTUS.) PB was founded because of the 2004 White House race and it pains me to tell PBers to avoid betting on the American presidential markets but the 2024 race was a…
Robert Jenrick’s secret weapon: being a lawyer as the country loves lawyers
I don’t think it is any coincidence that from 1945 onwards the three best leaders of the opposition were lawyers, whilst the fourth, The Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton is now practically a lawyer following the news that he is in talks with law firm DLA Piper to go and work for them. If we add in Mrs Thatcher sustained electoral success then Robert Jenrick should play up his legal background if he wants to replace Kemi Badenoch and win…
Are you ready for Trump winning 2028?
Oddly this interview with Eric Trump has cheered me up because I’ve been saying and betting for a while that I am expecting a Trump to be the Republican nominee in 2028, it might Donald Trump, it might be Donald Trump Jr, or Eric Trump (I also have long shot bets on Jared Kushner). If you’re not already on you can back Donald Trump Jr at 34 on Betfair, Eric Trump and Lara Trump at 66/1 each at Ladbrokes, and…
Badenoch is entering Truss territory
Tim Shipman in The Spectator is telling us about the dire straits the Tories find themselves in under Kemi Badenoch, Ipsos has found Kemi Badenoch has the worst ratings six month in for any Leader of the Opposition since Ipsos started polling in the 1970s, coupled with all the election losses, defections, and other dire polling Tory MPs are antsy. I found this part striking Ross Thomson, a former Aberdeen MP who briefly ran Badenoch’s leadership campaign in Scotland, defected…
Reform or rebrand: Who is really gaining power in local government?
Gareth’s excellent recent PB header “The Challenge for … Reform” suggested that running local councils could give the party valuable executive experience. But does this influx of Reform Councillors actually bring “outsiders” into the system? Or does it just offer “insiders” a new ladder to climb? Meet Stephen Atkinson, newly elected leader of Lancashire County Council. First time elected this year as a Reform councillor, with a career background of having been *checks notes* Council Leader of Ribble Valley Council for the…
Your regular reminder that the Tories & Reform are two discrete blocs not one homogenous bloc
The most interesting finding is that more people are prepared to vote against Labour than they are Reform. While I don’t feel confident enough to predict the outcome of the next election I feel confident in saying the next election with feature hitherto unknown levels of tactical voting. TSE