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The test of constitutional changes is to imagine them in the hands of your political enemies
Leave a commentDecember 20, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
Sometimes it’s the parts of the Queen’s speech that attract the least headlines that are most significant. The ‘review’ of …
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The two Tony Blair errors that helped worsen Labour’s defeat
Leave a commentDecember 19, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
Labour didn’t lose their Northern heartland seats overnight on December 12th and 13th. They lost them when Tony Blair took …
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The Liberal Democrats – where did it all go wrong?
Leave a commentDecember 18, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
The Liberal Democrats snatched an almost existential defeat from the jaws of relative victory with a combination of policy and …
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How do the SNP achieve a second independence referendum?
Leave a commentDecember 17, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
Whilst it is definitely Scotland’s decision on whether or not to leave the union, it is legally and constitutionally not …
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Why Sir Keir Starmer should be the next Labour leader
Leave a commentDecember 16, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
With no election until 2024, the Labour Party’s main role in our political system is to provide effective opposition. With …
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Winning in Putney and losing in Durham North West sums up the failures of Labour’ campaign.
1December 13, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
Among the many results in this election that showed how Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn have redrawn the electoral landscape …
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How the Remain Alliance failed whilst the Leave Alliance won
Leave a commentDecember 13, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
From the start of the election campaign, there was a concerted attempt to form a ‘Remain Alliance’, encompassing the Liberal …
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How a large Boris Johnson majority may maybe make his political programme less extreme.
Leave a commentDecember 13, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
A large majority means a few things. It puts Boris Johnson in an extremely strong position with his party and …
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The Exit Poll drops: What does it mean?
Leave a commentDecember 12, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
IF the exit poll is correct, the Conservatives have a stonking majority. Labour have their worst result since 1935. The …
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Why you must watch the #election2019 exit poll result at 10pm tonight
2December 12, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
At 9:59pm, a lot of people will think they might have a chance at Downing Street. One minute later, they …
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The Goldblog guide to what to watch for on #election2019 night
Leave a commentDecember 12, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
If, like me, you are staying up for election night, it might be useful to know what you are looking …
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Do politicians lie because no voter wants to hear the truth?
1December 12, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
Until voters are prepared to hear the unvarnished truth, politicians would be irrational to give it to them. We will …
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The Goldblog guide to whom you should vote for at #election2019 if you are wavering
4December 11, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
Here is my advice for 10 groups of wavering voters not sure what to do. Do leave me a comment …
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What’s happened to the Brexit Party in #election2019 shows how our electoral system is undemocratic and unrepresentative and should change
2December 10, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
The Brexit Party won the last national election but is effectively unable to compete in this General Election. For this, …
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How the YouGov MRP poll changed this election
Leave a commentDecember 9, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
The YouGov MRP poll released two weeks ago appears to have massively influenced the election campaign. It may have led …
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Why Liberals winning means the Liberal Democrats lose
Leave a commentDecember 6, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
The triumph of Liberalism as an ideology in terms of the policies adopted by Labour and the Conservatives has simply …
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Parliament didn’t block Brexit. Boris paused Brexit
Leave a commentDecember 5, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
Boris Johnson’s deal passed its second reading in Parliament. Yet the Conservative campaign is centred around Parliament blocking Brexit. Odd. …
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Boris Johnson refusing to be interviewed by Andrew Neil was an avoidable own goal for the BBC
December 4, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
The BBC has to be impartial. Therefore, what it does shouldn’t swing an election. To have interviewed and aired the …
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Usman Khan – issues like rehabilitation and the human rights of terrorists can only be solved with cross-party consensus
Leave a commentDecember 3, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
The story of how Usman Khan came to be released onto the streets and arriving at a conference on prisoner …
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On the question of alleged anti-semitism in Labour
5December 2, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
Us Jews are meant to be united on the question of whether Jeremy Corbyn, and by extension the Labour Party, …
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Explaining Labour’s immigration confusion
Leave a commentNovember 29, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
In the absence of a sensible debate about immigration, the Tories having a policy that might control it is attracting …
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Why the #Brexit deal is so important to #election2019
Leave a commentNovember 28, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
Going into an election in which the Tories can tell potential Brexit Party voters they have a deal to leave …
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Why the importance of this Conservative manifesto is that it is the only one likely to be delivered
Leave a commentNovember 27, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
I’ve read the manifestos so you don’t have to. As the only political party with a realistic chance of getting …
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Labour’s ‘kitchen sink’ manifesto shows they don’t think they will win
Leave a commentNovember 26, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
I’ve read the Manifestos so you don’t have to. Kudos to the Labour party, who have been completely honest about …
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Why Corbyn’s neutral Brexit stance IS leadership. Particularly compared to David Cameron.
Leave a commentNovember 25, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
At last Jeremy Corbyn has explained his Brexit position in a way that makes sense. On the BBC’s Question Time …
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The Liberal Democrat Manifesto – the last gasp for a party that has run out of ideas?
3November 22, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
I’m reading the party manifestos so you don’t have to. Here’s the Liberal Democrats So, the Liberal Democrats have released …
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The Green Party Manifesto – changing our lives to save them?
1November 21, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
I’m reading the party manifestos so you don’t have to. Today, it’s the Green Party. I love the Green Party …
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Johnson vs Corbyn #ITVDebate post-game…unlikely to have changed anyone’s vote – apart from to other parties
2November 20, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
This was more an election soundbite clash rather than a debate. The candidates didn’t listen properly to each other so …
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Why it is so hard to predict who will win tonight’s #election2019 debate
1November 19, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
Boris Johnson has an enormous amount of experience of debate, having been President of the Oxford Union. Jeremy Corbyn doesn’t. …
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In the end, there will be a price to free broadband
Leave a commentNovember 18, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
Labour’s commitment to providing free broadband by 2030 may seem attractive on the surface. After all, who is going to …
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Why the Green Party will be the only party in #Election2019 to be honest about the environment
1November 15, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
Only the Green Party will come clean about the fundamental change to out lifestyle and short term living standards required …
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The Cost of Corbyn – the lies and false assumptions prove the @Conservatives are scared
1November 14, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
The Conservative Party’s assessment of Labour’s spending plans betray a massive lack of confidence in themselves. They are full of …
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The Brexit Party don’t need this election to have already won
1November 13, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
The election system in this country means Nigel Farage has little choice but to stand down candidates to get Brexit …
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Why anti-Brexit parties are standing aside
4November 12, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
There are some very disappointed candidates in England and Wales as they are having to explain to their potential constituents …
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Question for Labour – who exactly is in ‘the many’?
3November 11, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign launch asked the question of whose side everyone is on – the many or the few. …
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What should the Brexit Party do?
Leave a commentNovember 8, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
There is no easy answer for Nigel Farage and his Brexit Party in this election, because in trying to force …
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Why the SNP might make all the difference
Leave a commentNovember 7, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
If the Tories do not win a majority, the SNP will likely be involved in supporting or creating the next …
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Why Labour’s Brexit Policy is so difficult to understand
4November 6, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
The reason why people don’t understand Labour’s Brexit position is because…it’s difficult to understand. Jeremy Corbyn himself says it ‘really …
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Why the Lib Dems’ ‘Revoke Article 50’ policy isn’t all it seems
Leave a commentNovember 5, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
The Liberal Democrats’ central policy is to revoke Article 50 and end Brexit. It sounds anti-Democratic, but all is not …
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Ready, Steady, Vote
3November 4, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
The General Election on December 12th 2019 is arguably the most consequential in many of our lifetimes. The Conservatives are …
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Why a #citizensassembly might be the best way out of this #Brexit crisis
2June 2, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
A citizens assembly on Brexit could provide a way out of the current crisis by bringing people together to recommend …
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The Boris prosecution: should there be a higher court than democracy?
Leave a commentMay 30, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
Marcus Ball has persuaded a judge that Boris Johnson has a case to answer over Vote Leave’s claim that £350m …
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Why Jeremy Corbyn may be the right Labour leader but at the wrong time
1May 28, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
When Corbyn was elected in September 2015 nobody could have known how much Brexit would matter. Corbyn’s indifference to it …
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Why it doesn’t matter that many Labour target seats voted Leave
1May 27, 2019 by Paul Goldsmith
The way the First-past-the-post electoral system works means that a Remain supporting mainstream party can win plenty of Leave seats …
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How the Economics Profession got it wrong on Brexit
5July 29, 2018 by Paul Goldsmith
In today’s febrile political atmosphere, in which information that doesn’t fit a person’s bias is immediately discarded, it is refreshing …
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Why Carillion may be the final death knell for an entire economic model
5January 22, 2018 by Paul Goldsmith
You know someone’s lost the argument by the arguments they use. In this political age it is either when they …
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Is it time for Theresa May to call the DUP’s bluff on Brexit?
2December 5, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
In 1968, Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson warned the trade unions that if they didn’t accept his relatively modest changes …
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Why the £50bn ‘divorce bill’ offer is a good move
Leave a commentDecember 4, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
People in the UK just don’t understand what negotiation is. Let me help them. In a negotiation, both sides go …
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How President de Gaulle’s second veto of Britain’s EC application fifty years ago led directly to the Leave vote in 2016
4November 27, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
Angela Merkel’s domestic political problems could see French President Emmanuel Macron elevated to the de facto leader of the EU …
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Why the deliberate obtuseness of Remain-supporting journalists demeans the Brexit debate
2November 20, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
Whilst lying is worse, being deliberately obtuse to make a point demeans the Brexit debate. At no point did places …
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Goldblog
Politics and Economics comment. Co-Author of How to Lose a Referendum – the Definitive Story of Why Britain Voted for Brexit [http://bit.ly/2ryynRG]. PhD Student KCL – Parliamentary Scrutiny of 2015 EU Referendum Act. Economics and Politics teacher in London. 18 years teaching experience. Prior to that a management consultant. All opinions here are my own.
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