The Covid-19 Inquiry: A Primer

The Covid-19 Inquiry: A Primer

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The PM does not enjoy scrutiny. It has even taken him 10 months to attend Parliament’s Liaison Committee. Nonetheless, sometimes even the most reluctant must submit to inquiries, often led by those great favourites of politicians – judges. 68 of them between 1990 and 2017, most into tragedies so serious that an inquiry was inevitable (the Piper Alpha explosion, e-Coli outbreaks, rail crashes). Many into the NHS (murdering nurses/doctors – Allitt/Shipman, child cardiac surgery, hospital failings – Bristol, Morecambe Bay,…

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However you view these poll numbers it doesn’t look good for Cummings or the PM

However you view these poll numbers it doesn’t look good for Cummings or the PM

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The above chart is based on the data from yesterday’s Opinium poll for the Observer and seeks to break down in visual form how different segments are viewing what Cummings did at the height of the lockdown. As can be seen the government’s argument that this was justified is not being received well across the key segments there. Even GE2019 CON voters have failed, admittedly by a small margin, to give it their blessing. The split I find most striking…

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Denying Bercow a peerage shows what a petty mean minded little man Johnson really is

Denying Bercow a peerage shows what a petty mean minded little man Johnson really is

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Going against the long-standing tradition is a mistake It is being reported that Johnson has blocked the traditional move for former Speakers of the House of Commons to be elevated to the peerage once they have stepped down. In doing so Bercow is denied an honour that has gone to Speakers for decades if not centuries. This is one of those traditional parts of the unwritten constitution. By becoming Speaker an MP has to give up their party links and…

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A nice way to spend your Sunday afternoon, watching This House

A nice way to spend your Sunday afternoon, watching This House

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Like Mike Smithson I love the play This House, I saw This House at the theatre back in 2012 and when it was repeated in the cinemas in 2013, so I utterly delighted a wider audience will be able to see this. I was born in the late 70s but I’ve always been fascinated by these crucial votes in Parliament, particularly the 1979 vote of no confidence, something which is a pivot moment in the history of this country. It’s…

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We need to talk about Donald Trump’s Twitter account

We need to talk about Donald Trump’s Twitter account

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Donald Trump and his Twitter account seems to be the embodiment of David Cameron’s maxim about Twitter, but this week Trump seems to have really caught the attention of Twitter with some pretty interesting actions regarding his tweets. So onto the betting angle of this story. Ladbrokes have a market up on Trump’s Twitter account to be deactivated or suspended before the end of June 2020 at 10/1. Usually a profitable route is not to get involved in betting markets…

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The betting chances of Minnesota Senator Klobuchar getting the VP nomination plummet following the riots sweeping the US

The betting chances of Minnesota Senator Klobuchar getting the VP nomination plummet following the riots sweeping the US

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From a 25% chance to a 4% one in a few days The huge story in the US at the moment are the riots in many leading cities which have been set off by the killing of George Floyd by a policeman. Floyd, an African-American, died in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, when a White Minneapolis police officer, knelt on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. This was all videoed. Minnesota is of course where Klobuchar is from…

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Lockdown is over. What next?

Lockdown is over. What next?

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Complex and odd rules plus the Cummings effect mean the public will decide for themselves what to do about Covid-19 Winston Churchill did not go out of his way to sell sunny optimism. During the 1930s, much to the irritation of his own party, he led the campaign to rearm the country in the face of a Nazi threat he considered – and said – was much greater and more imminent than the government would allow. On becoming prime minister,…

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