The change in the parliamentary arithmetic since he became PM makes Johnson’s task harder

The change in the parliamentary arithmetic since he became PM makes Johnson’s task harder

Comments 0 Comment

More ex-ministers expected to join the Tory rebels It is worth reminding ourselves that for all but two days of its life the Johnson government has been able to operate without the need to face parliamentary scrutiny.  It has been able to control the media narrative and dominate the headlines. That all changes next Tuesday when MPs return after the summer recess. One thing that will be different is that the parliamentary arithmetic, already very tight, will be even less…

Read More Read More

Just because TMay found it easy getting MPs to the vote for GE2017 doesn’t mean that it will be the same for Johnson

Just because TMay found it easy getting MPs to the vote for GE2017 doesn’t mean that it will be the same for Johnson

Comments 0 Comment

There is a widespread assumption, based on what happened with Theresa May two and a half years ago, that prime ministers still have the power to the name election date in spite of the FTPA. This is because it is said that the main opposition party will always have to back holding an election or else it will look weak. But given today’s “anti-no deal” agreement between the opposition parties I wonder if that still holds particularly if Johnson/Cummings want…

Read More Read More

Before we can make judgements about the outcome of an early general election we need new Scotland only polling

Before we can make judgements about the outcome of an early general election we need new Scotland only polling

Comments 0 Comment

The last one was in June There’s been a lot of GB voting intention polling since Mr Johnson became the new Tory leader and Prime Minister but none of it has been Scotland specific. One thing we do know is that is can be highly misleading keying the latest GB poll shares into Baxter and getting anything that is relevant to Scotland. North of the border, as we all know, is the part of the UK which has seen the…

Read More Read More

How special is special? The US-UK relationship

How special is special? The US-UK relationship

Comments 0 Comment

Be honest. How many G7 summits do you remember? How many are little more than talking shops with the same old photos of largely the same old characters? Last year’s summit, for instance, was mostly memorable for that photo of a defensive obstinate Trump surrounded by an exasperated Merkel and others. And this year? We have the sight of Trump showing off his latest pet, our very own Prime Minister, laughing a little too keenly  at the President’s bon mots (or…

Read More Read More

Swinson is polling better amongst CON Remainers than Johnson while Farage has a big lead over Corbyn with LAB leavers

Swinson is polling better amongst CON Remainers than Johnson while Farage has a big lead over Corbyn with LAB leavers

Comments 0 Comment

One of the really great things about Opinium polls for the Observer is the way they present their data including crossheads that other pollsters don’t manage to produce. One set of these is the source of the chart above. How 2017 Conservative Remainers are responding to the different questions as well as 2017 Labour leavers. In each case from the firm’s regular approval ratings I have deducted those giving a negative answer from those giving a positive one. I have…

Read More Read More

Wise thoughts on how the Tories would do in a snap general election from Keiran Pedley

Wise thoughts on how the Tories would do in a snap general election from Keiran Pedley

Comments 0 Comment

It amazes me that people have such short memories. Theresa May was going to walk the 2017 General Election and then didn’t. Perhaps it will be different this time – Johnson will almost certainly run a better campaign it’s true. But perhaps not. Care needed. — Keiran Pedley (@keiranpedley) August 24, 2019 It’s possible to foresee a world where Lib Dem / SNP gains really hurt the Tories & meanwhile Lab run a 2017 style campaign that recovers vote share…

Read More Read More

Boris Johnson PM : His first electoral tests – the local by-elections

Boris Johnson PM : His first electoral tests – the local by-elections

Comments 0 Comment

Analysis from Harry Hayfield Many people have said the reason why Boris Johnson was elected Conservative leader, and Prime Minister, was to stop one thing and one thing alone from happening, and that one was Conservative voters flooding to the Brexit Party and following his consistent statements of “We are leaving on October 31st 2019” local by-elections since his election do seem to indicate that is precisely what has happened. Now, I will admit there have only been eight local…

Read More Read More

Clarke’s TANDA – what about all the other positions?

Clarke’s TANDA – what about all the other positions?

Comments 0 Comment

This might easily be an insuperable barrier, even if the PM isn’t Let’s make the heroic assumption that the Tories are brought down in a Vote of No Confidence, Corbyn cannot gather the support to form a government but he reluctantly concedes that if someone else can, on a temporary basis, in order to secure an Article 50 extension and then trigger a general election, Labour will support that. This is, frankly, a long shot. Corbyn has not sounded at…

Read More Read More