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Category: Campaigning

Moore remains odds-on favourite in Alabama even though the Dems are spending nearly ten times as much on TV ads like these

Moore remains odds-on favourite in Alabama even though the Dems are spending nearly ten times as much on TV ads like these

Will the big spending Dems campaign produce a sensation? The biggest current political betting markets in the UK are not about British politics at all. They were about the US with Trump’s survival being number one and the Alabama senate race, which takes place next Tuesday, number two. The latter has the advantage of being settled very soon. Punters have only a few days to wait until they know whether their gamble has paid off or not. At the moment…

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Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?

Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?

All around the developed world, political loyalties are breaking down.  Electorates in Britain and the USA have gambled on reckless options in Brexit and Trump.  The hard right is a formidable political force in traditionally prosperous countries such as Sweden and Austria (where they may enter coalition government after the imminent election), and anti-immigrant voters have found their voice in France and Germany.  Secessionists ride high in Scotland and Catalonia.  Centrists find themselves outflanked on the left too, with centre…

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Looking at conference rhetoric – the politics of fear and the politics of hope

Looking at conference rhetoric – the politics of fear and the politics of hope

A guest slot by CycleFree It has become a truism that political campaigns based on fear are doomed to fail. Positive visions, hope and excitement are what we want, apparently. And there is some evidence to support this: Corbyn’s genuinely inspiring campaigning for what he has said and believed these last four (five?) decades, the increasingly desperate Remain campaign and, of course, May’s abysmal GE campaign, which wholly failed to explain why Corbyn’s choices and what they say about his…

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Corbyn keeps his shirt on in Poldark country

Corbyn keeps his shirt on in Poldark country

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjsYMHwLuNU&t=49s Video: Footage of Jeremy Corbyn campaigning in Redruth last month. We all know that Jeremy Corbyn doesn’t need to take his shirt off to get people singing “Ooo”. So the Labour leader was fully clad when he fetched up in Poldark country for Labour campaign rally in high summer. If he’d shown any inclination to emulate Aidan Turner’s naked sea bathing and shirtless gardening  in the BBC period drama his minders would doubtless have warned him against validating Theresa May’s bizarre comment in…

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The chart that shows general election campaigns don’t matter (usually)

The chart that shows general election campaigns don’t matter (usually)

2017 election saw the biggest swing DURING an election campaign ever – uncertainty is the new normal pic.twitter.com/VVTCADtY0T — Ben Page, Ipsos MORI (@benatipsosmori) July 13, 2017 One of the axioms of British politics is that general election campaigns don’t matter, and the stats in the above chart by Ben Page of Ipsos MORI does back that up, with sub margin of error changes during past campaigns but the 2017 general election campaign really didn’t stick to past conventions. The…

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One of the architects of the worst general election campaign in history gives his thoughts on the campaign

One of the architects of the worst general election campaign in history gives his thoughts on the campaign

It looks like it was Labour’s ground game was crucial Sir Lynton Crosby has spoken about the general election campaign which saw Mrs May squander David Cameron’s majority, The Guardian report that Crosby cautioned against a simplistic analysis of the result, saying commentary had exaggerated the significance of the youth vote. He said the failure of older voters to turn out for the election was just as significant. The pollster also warned that the rise of third-party campaigning for Corbyn…

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The Tories are on the run over the public sector pay cap. So why is Don Brind frustrated by Labour’s campaign?

The Tories are on the run over the public sector pay cap. So why is Don Brind frustrated by Labour’s campaign?

.@Theresa_May can find £1 billion to keep her own job, but can’t find the money so nurses and teachers can keep theirs. #PMQs #NHSBirthday pic.twitter.com/EedylEeWFf — Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) July 5, 2017 There was no doubting the passion and conviction that Jeremy Corbyn brought to the Commons as he challenged the Prime Minister  over the pay cap which, he said, “causes real shortages in nursing, teaching and many other professions, as well as real hardship.” He added, “this pay cap…

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Cost to tax-payers of TMay’s calamitous election decision and terrible campaign: £1bn

Cost to tax-payers of TMay’s calamitous election decision and terrible campaign: £1bn

This gives the Tories an effective majority of 15 A deal has been done. The Tories are to be propped up in Parliament by the 10 DUP MPs who have negotiated a £1bn deal for the province. So TMay’s party will be able to struggle on although the parliamentary arithmetic still looks tight and is nothing like as comfortable as during the 2010-2015 CON-LD coalition. We are going to see some very tight Commons votes with the opposition parties seeking…

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