Rebuilding a Nation: Unionists need to engage in a battle of both hearts and minds

Rebuilding a Nation: Unionists need to engage in a battle of both hearts and minds

But it’s a task singularly ill-suited to Boris Johnson TV used to be so much simpler. When I was growing up, there were only three, then four channels (though Channel 4 didn’t start up until mid-afternoon). If you wanted On Demand, you had to use a Video Recorder. Viewing was entirely through the box (and TVs were boxy) and the only thing resembling an internet was Ceefax and Oracle. They were also almost entirely passively consumed: no ‘e-mail, text or…

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Betfair responds to critics over its delay in settling Wh2020 bets

Betfair responds to critics over its delay in settling Wh2020 bets

The firm issued the following statement this evening: We have not settled certain markets on the Betfair Exchange relating to the U.S. election because of the uncertainty about the outcome of the results caused by ongoing recounts and potential legal challenges. Given our responsibility to both backers and layers to ensure that the markets are settled correctly and given the unprecedented amount of money that has been traded on these markets, we have sought advice from leading U.S. lawyers to…

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With just over a month to go punters still confident that there’ll be a UK-EU deal

With just over a month to go punters still confident that there’ll be a UK-EU deal

Above is the market from Smarkets which, as can be seen has moved about a fair bit over the past year. This is a huge event for British politics yet it has been totally overshadowed by COVID and the US election. I think there is going to be a deal but I’m not tempted by the odds. These are the betting market rules so you know what you are risking your money on. If the UK and EU sign a…

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I’ve just laid Trump at an 8% chance on Betfair

I’ve just laid Trump at an 8% chance on Betfair

The Betfair next President market continues to be totally potty and over the past 24 hours we have seen Trump’s chances move from 3% to an 8% one. Quite what people are thinking who are backing Trump is hard to say. Just about all the incumbent’s efforts to declare the results a fraud have failed to get backing from within the Republican party. Based on Betfair’s rules for the market it is nigh impossible, surely, for anyone else to be…

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Hatchings, Matchings and Dispatchings.

Hatchings, Matchings and Dispatchings.

2020 will be an unlamented year, known for a long time as the year of the coronavirus. Hopefully 2021 will be better, if the various vaccines and Brexit permit, and some resurgence of normal activity returns. Indeed just as the excesses of the roaring Twenties followed the Spanish Flu, we may well see a year of hedonistic excess. I do not wish to dwell long on the “excess deaths”, a subject thrashed over fairly heavily by both amateur and professional…

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The Betfair next president market tops £1.016 BILLION of matched bets yet still it remains open

The Betfair next president market tops £1.016 BILLION of matched bets yet still it remains open

The recounts in the marginal states have failed to make much difference This is getting ridiculous. Betfair has yet to close its next President market where the the rules state that “This market will be settled according to the candidate that has the most projected Electoral College votes won at the 2020 presidential election.“ This is not a market on who becomes the next president to be sworn in on January 20th but who, after the November 3rd elections, was…

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In other news

In other news

What else has been happening recently that deserves more attention than it is getting? We don’t need to worry about public sector debt – yet During the Covid era, Britain’s public sector debt has risen at a giddying rate.  Public sector net borrowing is estimated to have been £22.3 billion in October 2020, £10.8 billion more than in October 2019, which is both the highest October borrowing and the sixth-highest borrowing in any month since monthly records began in 1993. …

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