Last week, I did a prediction of what will happen in fourteen UKIP target seats, ones identified by the party itself. I thought it might be fun to do the same for the Greens, particularly given that party had told the Guardian their own version of a “super-12” list. I will go though each of […]
Tory plans around student immigration are highly revealing
Plans for foreign students to essentially be chucked out of the country after their course finishes has been met with condemnation from all sides. That’s because it’s a silly policy. Supporters of the idea say that 70,000 students from outside the EU hang around to work after they get their degrees, not seeing that this […]
I’m warming up to the idea of an English parliament
I remember being at an Alex Salmond speech in London a few years back. It was post May-2011, maybe autumn 2012 or so. I recall being impressed with his oratory skills, but that’s not what really sticks in my mind about the event. What I’ll never forget was a bloke very close by me in […]
How UKIP will do in the 2015 general election: a seat-by-seat prediction
One of the big questions ahead of next May’s general election is this: just how well are UKIP going to do in the end? Will they achieve anywhere near the fourteen percent nationwide that they got in this week’s ICM poll? Or will their vote collapse, mostly heading back to the Tories? Actually, as interesting […]
The Tories still don’t get it: short of a majority, the only way to get an EU referendum is through another coalition
There was a fascinating article in the Daily Mail yesterday. The top line was Cameron saying he won’t do a deal with UKIP under any circumstances after the next election, no matter what. Well, Cameron didn’t exactly say it; rather a “Downing Street aid” did. Anyhow, it all seems to have been done with the […]
Lib Dems up three, Tories down three – the latest ICM/Guardian poll and what it means for the general election
ICM have done their monthly poll for the Guardian. Top line is that Labour have “opened up” a five point lead on the Tories. At least, that’s how the Guardian is headlining it. In the same poll, the Lib Dems are at fouteen, which is up three from last month. Most Lib Dems would take […]
When Steph & Dom met Nigel Farage – a review
I turned on Channel 4 around 10 PM in order to watch a documentary piece about the leader of UKIP going to have a knees-up with two retired B&B owners in Sandwich. The first thing I heard as I did so was what sounded to me like Nigel Farage saying, “It will always be Great […]
Ed Miliband’s Great Yarmouth immigration speech (that wasn’t a speech)
Okay, I need to start with the bad on this one. And there is plenty to get through, so get comfortable. For a start, the leak. If you haven’t heard, an internal Labour Party briefing has been leaked to the press, one that said the party should not talk about immigration on the doorstep and […]
Sajid Javid and “The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher”, aka conservatism and artistic expression
Sajid Javid, the minister in charge of DCMS, gave a speech to the Union of Jewish Students Annual Conference in London yesterday. The Daily Telegraph reported this yesterday under the headline, “Protests and boycotts risk stripping Britain’s vibrant arts scene”, which would lead you to think that Javid had issued a diatribe against politics and […]
It’s long overdue for this to be said: a constitutional convention is a bad idea
Several NGOs have united together in calling for a constitutional convention, something they have been doing since the Scottish referendum came and went. Since a friend of mine emailed me yesterday to ask, and I quote, “What the fuck is a constitutional convention?”, perhaps some clarity is required here. Basically, a bunch of politicians pile […]