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Month: January 2018

NEW PB / Polling Matters podcast: How favourable are Brits towards different countries and how old is ‘too old’ to be PM?

NEW PB / Polling Matters podcast: How favourable are Brits towards different countries and how old is ‘too old’ to be PM?

On this week’s podcast Keiran and Leo look at some polling by Opinium that asks how favourable or unfavourable the British public is towards the following countries with some interesting differences by Brexit vote and age.  A summary of the results can be found below: (Note – nets may appear to be one point out in places due to rounding) Source: Opinium. 19-22 Jan, 2018. Tables with appear on the Opinium website in due course. Also on the show, Keiran…

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There’s a good case for the man with NHS lapel badge

There’s a good case for the man with NHS lapel badge

GE2022 – the battle of the Jezzas Clearly the overnight news about the possibility of a move against Theresa May has led to speculation about who would replace her. The Etonian pair of Rees-Mogg and Johnson remain top in the betting but I wonder whether they will be able to get the backing of enough MPs to make it to the postal vote stage. Rees-Mogg has never been a minister while Johnson’s performance as Foreign Secretary has hardly endeared him…

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If the Sun’s Harry Cole is right there are signs that a move against TMay might be imminent

If the Sun’s Harry Cole is right there are signs that a move against TMay might be imminent

Tory backbench boss begs angry MPs not to call leadership contest https://t.co/0gHZHHYGbc pic.twitter.com/rqrwllpWFY — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) January 25, 2018 At least this takes the focus off the NHS As we all, no doubt, know the rules of the Conservative Party state that a leadership vote of confidence amongst party MPs has to take place if 48 of them write privately to the chairman of the 1922 committee, Graham Brady, asking for such action. There were rumours following the prime…

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The Tories need to move the agenda off the NHS if they’re to have any chance

The Tories need to move the agenda off the NHS if they’re to have any chance

I had sort of stopped watching PMQs every week because it is just less interesting and less important. Corbyn is getting a bit better but both he and TMay are pedestrian compared with others that we’ve seen over the years. My reduced interest is reflected in the fact that the Commons appears less full for the event compared with previous times. Today, I did watch, and inevitably the Labour leader focused on the NHS and the Conservative leader used the…

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At 100/1 or longer Osborne, DMiliband & TBlair for next LD leader – totally daft or might there be something there?

At 100/1 or longer Osborne, DMiliband & TBlair for next LD leader – totally daft or might there be something there?

Above is the Ladbrokes market for next Liberal Democrat leader. Clearly this is not something that is going to come to fruition quickly though my guess is that the party will have a different person at the top by the time of the General Election if that happens in 2022. That is still a long way off and a lot of things will have happened by then. What is striking about the list are the three names that I have…

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Peston suggests that Boris might be preparing the ground to flounce out of the cabinet

Peston suggests that Boris might be preparing the ground to flounce out of the cabinet

Could this be BoJo’s Heseltine moment? In an interesting Facebook post under the heading ““Is Boris preparing to flounce out of the cabinet?” Robert Peston ponders the question of whether we are seeing the Foreign Secretary prepare the ground for a bid at the leadership. This is, of course, in the context of Johnson’s demand, reported in the Times this morning, for an extra £5bn for the NHS. Peston concludes: “..If Johnson feels his best chance of becoming leader would…

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