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Month: January 2020

The big political betting developments this weekend will not about Brexit – but Iowa

The big political betting developments this weekend will not about Brexit – but Iowa

We are almost there. Just 3 days to go before Iowa – the first State to decide on its Democratic party nomination holds its unique selection processes. What makes this important is that the outcome has, historically, had an impact on the other states that follow. Getting a good outcome here can produce a huge lift off in the rest of the race and the main contenders know it. Although only perhaps 16% of Iowans will actually participate on Monday…

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The front pages on this historic day

The front pages on this historic day

As can be seen the Daily Mirror is the only one which does not have reference to Brexit on its front page. Of course it might be that this is the best call from a news point of view given the potential threat that the flu represents. None of the Brexit related front pages is really very surprising and I doubt if many of them will be referred to much again as we enter into the new relationship with the…

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The seemingly endless LAB leadership race trudges on and there’s been nothing to shift Starmer

The seemingly endless LAB leadership race trudges on and there’s been nothing to shift Starmer

This contest is going on far too long We are now 2 months and one week away from the special labour conference when the new leader will be announced. This will follow, of course, the membership ballot which won’t go out for weeks and won’t be counted until early April. This evening a total of 40 different constituency LAB parties have been meeting and results have been coming in. They haven’t been aggregated yet and we don’t have a total…

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Irish General Election 2020 : Predictions & Review, Part 2

Irish General Election 2020 : Predictions & Review, Part 2

With the Irish general election taking place a week on Saturday the pressure is mounting on Leo Varadkar & the Fine Gael members. Michael Martin looks more certain to become the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) but it’s not over yet. Can Sinn Fein pull off the almighty, unbelievable upset, find out below!My predictions will be submitted in alphabetical order. Galway East (Three Seats) Galway East looks set to be a very interesting constituency and nobody is safe here, The current TD’s…

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The SNP’s Brexit conundrum

The SNP’s Brexit conundrum

Drink, says the Porter in the ‘Scottish Play’, is an equivocator with lechery: “it provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance…. it sets him on, and it takes him off; it persuades him, and disheartens him”.  So it may prove with Brexit and Scottish Independence. Nicola Sturgeon loses no opportunity to remind Scots that Brexit is taking them out of the EU ‘against their will’, citing this as justification for holding another independence referendum so soon after the…

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Northern Rail to be nationalised and it looks like HS2 is going to be approved

Northern Rail to be nationalised and it looks like HS2 is going to be approved

Confirmed – Northern Rail into public ownership from March 1st — Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) January 29, 2020 Hear also the final decision on HS2 is to be made tomorrow in a meeting of PM, Chancellor and Transport Sec – mood music seems to pointing towards go ahead but, arguments don’t seem to be over and massive anxieties about cost — Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) January 29, 2020 HS2 will be the most controversial One thing about having an ample majority is…

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How the Iowa Democratic caucuses at WH2004 were the trigger for the establishment of PB

How the Iowa Democratic caucuses at WH2004 were the trigger for the establishment of PB

In January 2004 the former governor of Vermont, Howard Dean, looked as though he might make it right through to the nomination. He had been a big pioneer of utilising the internet for online donations and mobilising volunteers something that was quite new at the time. In the polls ahead of Iowa, then like now the first state to decide, he looked strong and was tight favourite, at one stage odds-on in the betting, for the nomination. At the time…

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Which way will the Brexit trackers go after Friday?

Which way will the Brexit trackers go after Friday?

With “Brexit wrong” retaining its lead Johnson’s got to be careful about his tone on Friday Today’s YouGov poll will probably be the last one before Britain leaves the EU on Friday evening. I do hope that the firm will continue its regular Brexit tracker question which has been put in the same way since the referendum in June 2016 . As can be seen those thinking that Brexit is wrong are leading a situation that has existed for nearly…

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