Back in June 2009 when John Bercow was elected Speaker of the House of Commons he said he would serve for nine years, so if he honours his promise we are around 18 months from the election of a new Speaker. Ladbrokes have put up a market on who the new Speaker will be, I understand why Lindsay Hoyle is the joint favourite, he has widely praised for his performances as Deputy Speaker, but given the 100/1 odds on Carswell…
How the main two have done in LAB defences since GE2015 The CON performance in seats its defended since BREXIT And the local by election performance since last May’s elections Latest Betfair odds This latest betting move has been sparked off by press reports of LAB party canvas data. That, if true, came presumably from information gleaned before the candidate, was selected. Now that a local doctor and anti-Corbynite has been given the job then things could be different. One…
He can’t govern in slogans but they’ll take him a long way Inaugurations set the tone for a presidency and Trump undoubtedly set his yesterday: life will be different – for DC, for Europe, for China and for the world. In an extraordinarily pugnacious address, which might have been lifted direct from his campaign rallies, Trump served notice that the Old Order is dead as far as he is concerned. There will be no more Beltway politics, benefitting lobbyists and…
Following such an extraordinary day it is very hard to fully assimilate what we have seen and heard in Washington. Certainly the new President has given strong indications about his direction of travel and that is going to have huge implications in many different parts of the world including the UK and Europe. This was an inauguration speech like no other which very much reflects the individual personality of the new President. At the same time it was quite moving seeing…
A sneak preview of Donald Trump's #inauguration address. pic.twitter.com/achgl0nOt5 — James Melville ? (@JamesMelville) January 18, 2017 https://twitter.com/nickc909/status/822407583872991232 A new US President is a reminder how long PB has been around. The site was founded in March 2004 when George W was the incumbent and beat John Kerry in that extraordinarily tight election. Four years later it was Barack Obama who had been tipped on the site when he was 50/1. Obama was re-elected in 2012 and now, of course,…
Embed from Getty Images Back in the 1970’s unions were seen – and saw themselves – as a key constituency whom government had to listen to and consult. Whether beer and sandwiches were actually served at Number 10 was less important than the perception and the reality that governments felt that it was wise to consult the unions on industrial matters and wider economic policy. And this was done because of a desire to achieve consensus, to be seen as…
https://twitter.com/jimwaterson/status/822203695559544833 Big developments tonight in the two by-elections where LAB is defending seats where the sitting MPs are standing down to pursue other careers. According to Kevin Schofield of PoiticsHome Labour is planning to hold the two contests on the same day – something that always seemed likely. It had been thought that the party would have waited until My 4th – when elections are taking place in many parts of the country and we have the first mayoral elections…
Norton on Bromsgrove (caused by the death of the sitting Conservative councillor) Result of council at last election (2015): Conservatives 18, Labour 7, Independents 3, Wythall Ratepayers 3 (Conservative majority of 5) Result of ward at last election (2015): Conservative 943 (60%), Labour 467 (30%), Green 166 (11%) EU Referendum Result: REMAIN 26,252 (45%) LEAVE 32,563 (55%) on a turnout of 79% Candidates duly nominated: Michelle Baker (Green), Rory Shannon (Lab), Adrian Smart (UKIP), Michael Webb (Con) Weather at the…