With Trump under pressure there’s just a possibility that Nancy Pelosi could become President in 2019

With Trump under pressure there’s just a possibility that Nancy Pelosi could become President in 2019

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Ladbrokes offered me 200/1 on the possibility This is a remote possibility and the stuff of West Wing but there’s just a chance that the Democrat who’s likely to be elected Speaker of the House next month, Nancy Pelosi, could become president in 2019. Under the US constitution the House Speaker is second in line to succeed the President after the Vice president and it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that events could turn against the incumbent and…

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With just five days to go the PB/Alastair Meeks predictions for 2019

With just five days to go the PB/Alastair Meeks predictions for 2019

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Rarely has British politics faced such binary questions: Remain or Leave? Deal or no deal? Referendum or no referendum? What kind of a fool is going to make predictions about the coming year? Let me raise my hand. In truth, the uncertainties we face at the beginning of 2019 are if anything easier to deal with than usual. What derail most predictions are the unknown unknowns. The problems for predicting 2019 look more likely to be known unknowns – who…

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Looking back over 2018: Alastair Meeks reviews his predictions

Looking back over 2018: Alastair Meeks reviews his predictions

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It’s that time of year when everyone makes predictions about what is coming up.  Oddly, you get rather fewer articles looking back at the previous year’s predictions. Funny that. I make predictions each year to set out my considered thoughts and to see where they went wrong, in an effort to see where I can get better when assessing scenarios for my betting. So how did I do twelve months ago? For once, not too badly at all. I made…

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Christmas Day on PB wouldn’t be Christmas without the StJohn Christmas Crossword (est 2007)

Christmas Day on PB wouldn’t be Christmas without the StJohn Christmas Crossword (est 2007)

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Renewing a great tradition One of the great traditions on PB has been the StJohn Christmas Crossword. The has been published on most Christmas days on the site since 2007. Its creator, StJohn, is one of quite a group of PBers who have been coming here almost since the site’s foundation in 2004. This is his 2018 offering. Enjoy. Across clues 1 Restructuring of Israeli trio in government (11) 7 Half the Chancellor’s responsibility is growth (3) 9 Become less…

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As Trump’s troubles mount punters now give him just a 30% chance of being re-elected

As Trump’s troubles mount punters now give him just a 30% chance of being re-elected

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Although it is not two years since Trump was inaugurated as President the focus is starting to be placed on WH2020. The next six months should see contenders starting to throw their hats into the ring all building up to the first primaries in little more than a year. What’s going to be different about the upcoming battles is that the biggest state of all, California, with by far the biggest number of delegates, will now feature in the first…

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My Christmas eve bet that TMay will still be PM at the end of next year

My Christmas eve bet that TMay will still be PM at the end of next year

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Moggsy’s failed confidence move gives her 12 months immunity On the day of this month’s confidence vote amongst Tory MPs on Theresa May the PM declared that it was her intention not to lead the party into the next general election. If we stick with the Fixed Term Parliament Act timetable that means any time before the spring of 2022. That might have helped her in fending off Moggsy’s ill-judged move which also provided her with the additional bonus that…

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This could have been the moment that Cameron and his mother ensured Corbyn would one day become PM

This could have been the moment that Cameron and his mother ensured Corbyn would one day become PM

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After the referendum Dave’s worst blunder as leader? Just before Jeremy Corbyn became Labour leader in September 2015 I wrote a piece for PB offering Jeremy Corbyn some fashion advice. That piece was inspired by the fact that earlier on that summer I had visited the House of Commons and has seen Jeremy Corbyn living up to the Steptoe Corbyn meme and I wasn’t sure to give Corbyn some loose change. It wasn’t just me who thought Corbyn had dire…

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