Is now the time to panic? This is probably the first big test for the Johnson government. How to handle the growing concern about the virus which is sweeping many parts of the world. So far this has been less in UK than in some other European countries particularly Italy. But we live in a world where people do travel and interact and things can happen so fast. It is starting to impact on things like the Rugby Six Nations…
It’s been reported this evening that a new YouGov/LAB selectorate poll for Sky Nws has: Starmer 53% Long-Bailey 31% Nandy 16% A total of 1,323 party members/supporters/affiliates were interviewed from Feb 15-Feb 20th. Under Labour’s election rules if no candidate has 50%+ on first choices then the second choices of the contender with the fewest votes are added to the totals. So if Starmer does indeed get 53% that would obviate the need for second preferences to be taken into…
Remaining loyal to Corbyn without attacking Blair has been quite an achievement Ever since the first YouGov LAB membership poll at the end of December there has been little doubt that Sir Keir Starmer was likely to be the winner. The ballot forms of being distributed and are now being returned and you can expect maybe half of them to have arrived within the next week. To recap Starmer topped the MP nomination stage and then had little problems in…
The betdata.io chart of the Betfair exchange shows how punters responded to the latest debate. The betting loser was Bernie who was a 53% chance yesterday morning and is now a 43% one. The big gainer was Biden who had his best debate performance so far in a state, South Carolina, that votes on Saturday and he has made his firewall. Bloomberg was only slightly better than last week but he has edged up in the betting. This was the…
Ahead of Saturday’s South Carolina primary we have yet another TV debate between the main contenders. This takes place in Charleston and will start at 1am GMT lasting two hours. As discussed in a previous thread today the expectation is that the front runner in the race, Bernie Sanders, will be the one who will will be most under attack because so far he has escaped the debates unscathed and there have always been other contenders who looked most vulnerable….
Mike Smithson
The issue his opponents hope will impede his bandwagon. So for in this fight for the Democratic nomination the current front manner, Bernie Sanders has escaped being the one the other candidates most like to attack. Last week in the pre-Nevada debate it was Michael Bloomberg who came under fire for his apparent attempts to use his billions to, as was described, buy the election. Now with Bernie taking a clear lead in the delegate count and looking as though…
Are we heading for an SNP leadership contest? With rumours swelling that Scotland’s First Minister is to resign, the bookies make Sturgeon 11/10 to have left her post before the end of 2020, however it is odds-on at 4/6 she is still in charge. Sturgeon’s problem is that her party is very much divided and next year Scotland goes to the polls to elect a new Scottish Parliament when issues such as how the SNP has run the country for…