Elections
Someone has got to win the next election
It is easy to make a case for why all three main parties should do badly at the next election. After five years of austerity, who will vote for the… Continue reading
50 Comments
Nigel Farage, the anti-politician
Nigel Farage was in full anti-politics mode this morning on the Today programme. He railed against ‘three frontbenches that look and sound the same’ and ‘haven’t done a proper day’s… Continue reading
41 Comments
Labour hold South Shields with Ukip 2nd and Lib Dems 7th
The result is now in from South Shields. As expected, Labour have held the seat. Ukip have come second, with the Tories third and the Liberal Democrats a spectacularly bad… Continue reading
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Liberal Democrats liberal with the facts
I know the Liberal Democrats are trying to take credit for anything they like the sound of, but their rewriting of history is getting out of control. It seems that they have… Continue reading
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David Cameron and the married couple’s tax allowance
The married couple’s tax allowance is back on the agenda. After Conservative Home’s exclusive yesterday, David Cameron has confirmed that he will introduce one before the end of this parliament.… Continue reading
32 Comments
Small By-Election in Hampshire; Not Many Dead
By-elections are catnip for the media. But they are also, almost invariably, subject to greater scrutiny than they can reasonably bear. Only occasionally do they herald a new era or… Continue reading
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Italian elections: ‘The worst possible outcome’
Forget Moody’s. If you want to see market panic, just look at Italy. As Isabel reported this morning, the unexpectedly strong performance of Beppe Grillo’s anti-establishment party, the Five Star… Continue reading
74 Comments
UKIP surge in Eastleigh
By-elections are notoriously hard to call. But everyone who comes back from Eastleigh says the same thing, UKIP are the party with forward momentum. This morning’s Populus poll bears that… Continue reading
126 Comments
Israel Votes and Hope Loses - Spectator Blogs
Today’s Israeli election does not, it is fair to say, take place in at a moment of supreme hope in the Middle East. Quite the contrary. This is an election… Continue reading
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Labour’s safe seats stay safe
In the end, the threat from smaller parties came to nothing, and Labour easily retained all of the three safe seats it was defending yesterday. In fact, they extended their… Continue reading
88 Comments
Where does power lie? Or where should power lie?
Iain Martin has written a cracking piece for the Telegraph entitled: ‘The coming battle with the EU is about sovereignty.’ Iain recommends a new play, 55 Days, which tells the… Continue reading
46 Comments
Why I regret voting for the Bill that introduced PCCs
So much has been written about the lead up to, and the fall-out from, last week’s elections for Police and Crime Commissioners that it seems almost futile to try to… Continue reading
32 Comments
Five points from ‘Super Thursday’
1). Independents and the changing face of politics. The election of 12 independent police commissioners (at the latest count) in Dorset, Gwent, North Wales*, Hampshire, Warwickshire, West Mercia, Kent, Avon… Continue reading
47 Comments
Too many elections and not enough votes?
More people are interested in low turnout than turned out to vote at yesterday’s PCC elections; that is the story of the day so far. The figures quoted are baleful, ranging… Continue reading
18 Comments Labour hold in two by-elections but turnout low
So far, the election results are as expected. Labour has comfortably held Manchester Central and Cardiff South and the Tory candidate has been elected as the Police and Crime Commissioner… Continue reading
22 Comments
Election night: It’s all over bar the counting
Tonight is election night but there’s not much counting going on. The Corby by-election count doesn’t start until tomorrow morning and Wiltshire is the only place where the Police and… Continue reading
25 Comments Another sign that CCHQ is moving on to an election footing
Today brings yet another sign that CCHQ is gearing up for the long election campaign. After yesterday’s news that the party has chosen the forty seats it intends to target… Continue reading
32 Comments
Who are the BBC to question the legitimacy of Police & Crime Commissioners?
What’s the test of success of the Police & Crime Commissioners policy? It is, surely, whether the 41 individuals who will be elected tomorrow succeed in cutting crime and antisocial… Continue reading
71 Comments
Race, gay marriage and modern Conservatism. Lessons for David Cameron from America. - Spectator Blogs
So, we’ve had nearly a week to digest the results of the American election and contemplate what, if anything, it might all mean for politics there and, naturally, in this… Continue reading
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David Cameron tries to drum up interest in the Police and Crime Commissioner elections
David Cameron spent yesterday campaigning for Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner candidates in Bedfordshire and Leicestershire. The visits, though, received scant national attention: the only coverage I’ve spotted so far… Continue reading
23 Comments