Predictions for 2021 from the man who tipped Sunak as next PM at 200/1

Predictions for 2021 from the man who tipped Sunak as next PM at 200/1

After the increasingly high drama of the past few years 2021 is going to be a year with a bark but less of a bite – with one notable exception. Covid – For obvious reasons need to start with Covid. Following approval of the Oxford vaccine the rollout of vaccinations happens relatively smoothly (with some disruptions much shared on Twitter). Because of the new variant January and February are not going to be pleasant but by Easter death tolls will be…

Read More Read More

The money’s still goes on the Republicans winning at least one of the Georgia runoff Senate elections

The money’s still goes on the Republicans winning at least one of the Georgia runoff Senate elections

Chart of Betfair market from Btdata.io Let there be no mistake about the Georgia runoff elections next Tuesday. These are massive and will have a critical impact on the success of the Biden administration after it it comes into office on January 20th. For if the Republicans hold just one of the two Georgia Senate then they will retain control of the Senate in Washington and that adds enormously to the challenges of the new President as he seeks to…

Read More Read More

The New Year appeal: Help keep PB going and make it ad-free

The New Year appeal: Help keep PB going and make it ad-free

At the end of April we made an appeal to PBers for support because advertising revenue had almost all dried up because of the pandemic. Response from users was really much more than we thought and it has given us the resources to keep going. It has also given me the confidence to try to make the site in the future not dependent on display advertising revenue. I think it makes for a cleaner and much better site and people…

Read More Read More

Cyclefree’s 2020 Awards

Cyclefree’s 2020 Awards

Back by popular demand – mine. I have to do something to while away the time in my lonely barn halfway up a sheep-ridden hillside, wrapped up in scarves and mittens, pencil stub between my fingers, teeth chattering, the stormy wind howling outside, rain lashing the windows, like some minor character in Dr Zhivago or Jane Eyre with no-… (“Enough with the clichés! Get on with it!” Ed). 1. The Shami Chakrabarti Award for Trashing One’s Reputation – Of course,…

Read More Read More

The Oxford/AZ vaccine gets approved – now ministers need to ensure that it gets out quickly and in a fair manner

The Oxford/AZ vaccine gets approved – now ministers need to ensure that it gets out quickly and in a fair manner

This could get very political very quickly While the United States and the EU continue to deliberate on the Oxford vaccine the big news in the UK is that it has now been approved and that we are told 4 million jabs are ready for distribution. The expectation is very high amongst many who see the vaccine as a way of managing to move on from the dark days of the lockdown which has been going on since last March…

Read More Read More

2021: What lies in store from Alastair Meeks

2021: What lies in store from Alastair Meeks

Following in Robert Smithson’s footsteps, it’s time to nail my colours to the mast again. At the end of each year, I like to set out my expectations for the year ahead, not because I’m particularly accurate (I’m not) but because it is useful to see where my expectations went wrong at a later date. My starting point for the year ahead is always the finishing point for the previous year. Where do we start? The whole world has been hit by the…

Read More Read More

Cyclefree gives her Predictions for 2021

Cyclefree gives her Predictions for 2021

The virus will continue to do its worst. It may well mutate further. There will be another outbreak (possibly even a serious one) in China but the Chinese government will say far less about it. Foreign journalists reporting on it will be expelled. Chinese journalists won’t report on it for fear of facing the same fate as Zhang Zhan. The government’s vaccination programme will not reach the level of daily vaccinations needed to stop its spread. By early summer the…

Read More Read More