I recently went to The Rest is Politics live show in Manchester, featuring the hosts of both the UK and US editions of the podcast. One thing that struck me was when Alastair asked ‘who do you think will win the US election?’ (and he explicitly said that he meant who do you think will […]
Boris Johnson: Buy, sell or hold?
It has been a volatile few weeks for the Prime Minister, and this looks set to continue for the foreseeable future. If you could buy shares in Boris Johnson, should you buy, sell or hold? The bull case Despite the travails of recent days, the Prime Minister still has a number of advantages which can […]
2021 budget options
The budget on 3rd March is Rishi Sunak’s first chance to ‘make his mark’ on fiscal policy. To date he has been spreading the cash around, with the furlough scheme, discounted meals in restaurants, and an uplift to Universal Credit. He’s considered by many to be the most popular minister in the Cabinet and the […]
Why did the Liberal Democrats lose?
After my post Why did Labour lose?, I felt it was only fair to ask the same question of the Liberal Democrats. The party went into the election with a clear message on Brexit, a new leader, and some high-profile candidates. Why then did they do so badly? First Past the Post Liberal Democrats have […]
Why did Labour lose?
The first word that comes to mind when thinking of the general election result for Labour is catastrophic. A fall in vote share was bad enough, especially as all the other main parties registered an increase, but to make a net loss of approximately 60 seats is inexcusable for the main opposition party. Even worse, […]
Yet another general election
In a week’s time we will likely know which party is going to be running the country for the next 1-5 years, trying to deal with the intractable problem of sorting Brexit, fixing the economy and keeping the country together. Conservatives Despite getting off to a poor start as Prime Minister, the election forecast looks […]
Swinson’s baptism of fire
If you could choose the timing at which you became party leader, taking over the reigns in the middle of the most divisive and polarising political event in decades would probably not be top of most people’s list. This is, however, where Jo Swinson finds herself, leading a party whose members are solidly in favour […]
Johnson’s Brexit dilemma
Poor Boris Johnson. He’s finally got the job he’s hankered for the whole of his life, at the worst possible moment and in the most difficult of circumstances. With a hearing at the Supreme Court scheduled for this week to review his decision to prorogue Parliament for an extended period, and being ’empty podiumed’ by […]
The next general election
Whatever happens with Brexit, it seems likely – and apologies if you are a political journalist or activist – that we are heading for an early general election, probably later this year. What does that mean for the three main UK parties, two of which are likely to see a change in leader? Conservatives I […]
May’s Brexit offer to Corbyn
Yesterday evening, Theresa May stood in front of the lectern at Downing Street and effectively said ‘help me Jeremy Corbyn, you’re my only hope’. Desperate to get some form of deal through Parliament, and with her colleagues deserting her, she thinks the only way forward is to replace Conservative votes with Labour ones. At first […]