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We need to talk about Privatisation
1May 5, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
I’ve read a lot this past year. When I decided to write a blog every day from May 7th last …
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The Electoral Maths that could put George Galloway in charge
Leave a commentMay 5, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
Take a look at the demands above. They are those of a George Galloway. Given the Respect Party MP …
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A look at what might happen on May 8th
Leave a commentMay 4, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
So here we are, the final week of this election campaign and it has a different feel to most UK …
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The importance of knowing why you want to be Prime Minister
Leave a commentMay 3, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
I have a question for you. Why do David Cameron and Ed Miliband want to be Prime Minister? Try and …
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5 Thoughts about Thursday’s Leaders’ Question Time
13May 2, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
1. What a fine advert for our democracy that was The star of the programme was the audience. Excellently researched …
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Tories’ Tax promise speaks volumes about..Tory promises
1May 1, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
Before the 2010 election, the Conservatives said that they wouldn’t raise VAT should they be in government after it. They …
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“Mili-Brand” – the review
Leave a commentApril 30, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
Ed Miliband has said from the start that he won’t duck debates in this election. So when it was discovered …
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English votes for English laws – why it is unlikely to happen
Leave a commentApril 29, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
Talk about missing a trick. Ignoring St George’s day, the Conservatives chose Friday to release their “English manifesto”. Not wanting, …
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Why what happens to Greece could decide our election
Leave a commentApril 28, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
A few days ago, I ventured the opinion that foreign affairs don’t win General Elections. I was premature. There is one …
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“Labour’s rent controls” are nothing of the sort. Just redressing imbalances in the provision of a basic need.
Leave a commentApril 27, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
Pollsters released some interesting data just after Labour made their announcement on Saturday about the “rent controls” they are going …
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Why the DUP manifesto may matter this time more than ever before
Leave a commentApril 26, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
Just when you might have thought that every party from the countries outside England would make their manifesto a shopping …
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The Joy of Contribsx – Who is Grant Shapps’ biggest fan?
Leave a commentApril 25, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
Some election commentators have noted this week that one in five of the general public had no idea of who …
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Will the main parties ever come clean about their actual tax and spending plans?
Leave a commentApril 24, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
Yesterday’s election news was dominated for a time by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (an independent think tank aiming to …
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Explaining the election silence on foreign affairs
2April 23, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
Historically, Foreign policy hasn’t won an election for anyone. Yes, one could point to the Falklands War with Argentina and …
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Are the CMA concerned that Poundland will buy 99p Stores then become the £1.01 store?
4April 22, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
I will start this with a question: against whom do Poundland compete? Is it other pound shops? Maybe. Is it 99p …
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Why the Conservatives are panicking
Leave a commentApril 22, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
It’s worth ignoring the polls at the moment. They are coming up with huge swings, with some suggesting the Conservatives …
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EU Commission vs Google – why it matters
Leave a commentApril 21, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
I first used a search engine back in 1995. It was powered by Yahoo and from what I remember it …
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SNP manifesto – the longest ransom note in history
Leave a commentApril 21, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
So there we have it. The manifesto season has closed with the SNP’s manifesto, launched by the all-conquering Nicola Sturgeon. …
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Explaining the Shell – BG Group merger
1April 20, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
Whenever there is a large fall in oil prices, the largest energy extraction firms start sniffing around the smaller ones. …
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Why a Conservative / SNP pact after the General a Election is more likely than you think
Leave a commentApril 20, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
Somewhere, deep in Conservative Party headquarters, under some kind of secret codename, and most probably dressed in black, will be …
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How Nicola Sturgeon somehow grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat…for David Cameron
3April 19, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
The moment the Conservatives were waiting for in the Challengers debate for Opposition leaders came right at the end. Until …
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Liberal Democrat manifesto – a UK election first
Leave a commentApril 18, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
The Liberal Democrat manifesto was a UK election first. It was the first time that a party has actually campaigned …
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UKIP’s manifesto – plans relying completely on the counter-factual
Leave a commentApril 17, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
What I have liked about UKIP’s contribution to British politics over the past few years has been the effect that …
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The Green Party manifesto is the most honest of them all.
16April 16, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
Reading the Green Party manifesto I found myself lost in admiration for the only honest document produced by any political …
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The Conservative Manifesto relies on us trusting them. Have they earned it?
6April 15, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
If you ever wanted to understand how close this election is, just think about this: The Conservative manifesto is all …
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Labour’s Judo political, classic sales technique manifesto…game on Dave.
2April 14, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
There are a variety of reasons why Ed Miliband stood up at the lectern yesterday to deliver Labour’s General Election …
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Lessons from The Godfather for Ed Miliband: Offer the SNP nothing.
Leave a commentApril 13, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
Like the the ‘many’ fellow political obsessives in England, I spent Tuesday evening glued to my IPad as I watched …
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Why the Liberal Democrats must be giving thanks for First Past the Post
3April 12, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
At one stage, during the mass leaders’ debate last week, Nick Clegg turned and demanded an apology from Ed Miliband …
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Renewal of Trident is NOT a condition of SNP putting Labour back in No 10
Leave a commentApril 11, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
“Remember: Ed Miliband stabbed his own brother in the back to become Labour leader. Now he is willing to stab …
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Why Labour’s commitment to Careers Advice is so important
1April 10, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
There were many catalysts for my choice to go into teaching back in 2005. Having been a management consultant for …
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The abolition of Non-Doms. A Labour political masterstroke?
3April 9, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
In 1799, at the same time as introducing the first income tax in the UK, Prime Minister William Pitt introduced …
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The Greens are the only party with a proper long term message. Shame about the messenger.
Leave a commentApril 8, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
When Caroline Lucas stepped down as Green Party leader to concentrate on her role as their first and only MP …
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UKIP should understand that cutting foreign aid will INCREASE health tourism
Leave a commentApril 7, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
During last week’s leaders’ debate we saw the launch of what UKIP insiders have called a ‘shock and awful’ strategy …
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‘Nikileaks’ case might be the ‘Zinoviev letter’ of our times
Leave a commentApril 6, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
Let’s get something out of the way first. It is possible but highly unlikely that Nicola Sturgeon did say to …
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Why Labour should be spending a lot more time attacking Tory efficiency than Tory cruelty
Leave a commentApril 5, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
The advertising guru Maurice Saatchi noted, just after the shock election victory by the Conservatives in 1992, that ‘cruel but …
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Post-election Chaos – could it include Cameron the ‘squatter’?
Leave a commentApril 4, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
In a sign of the chaos to come from May 8th, Labour have been taking legal advice to try and …
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The leaders’ debate. How they rated.
4April 3, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
So that was the mass debate (stop saying it quickly at the back). Seven adults shouting at each other repeating …
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Why abolishing zero hour contracts really would throw the baby out with the bathwater
Leave a commentApril 2, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
Once again the issue of zero hour contracts came to the fore this week as Labour announced restrictions on their …
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EU Referendum and Business uncertainty – Labour have a point
Leave a commentApril 1, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
The Labour party made an interesting, and brave decision on Monday. They opened their election campaign proper, on the day …
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Why the Queen was still asked to Dissolve a Parliament that dissolves automatically
Leave a commentMarch 31, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
Yesterday was the first time in history that Parliament dissolved itself. Under the Fixed Term Parliament Act, Parliament has been scheduled …
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Milibounce – Ed thrives under Paxman pressure
Leave a commentMarch 30, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
After all the bluff and bluster, this was the start of the election campaign proper. Expectations were low, given the …
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Profit caps for private healthcare providers – The wrong answer to a problem that doesn’t exist
1March 30, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
I wish someone could take Ed Miliband by the lapels and ‘help’ him to understand that demand has to meet supply. …
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Conservatives most seats, coalition impossible. Current poll predictions analysed.
Leave a commentMarch 29, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
You may be confused, given the forecast at the moment is for the Labour and Conaervative share of the vote …
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Nothing can be ruled out when it comes to post-election deals
Leave a commentMarch 28, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
A few weeks ago, the Conservatives released a poster by their advertising agency containing a large Alex Salmond with Ed …
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Why the Conservatives should talk more about the NHS
1March 27, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
There are a lot of frustrated people following this election campaign. Journalists are frustrated by only receiving pre-prepared soundbites and …
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Ed Miliband audience questions then Paxman interview. In case you missed it
Leave a commentMarch 26, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
Miliband started with audience questions. This was a much snappier session than Cameron’s, for the simple reason that the Prime …
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David Cameron interview with Paxman then audience questions – in case you missed it
Leave a commentMarch 26, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
So we started with Jeremy Paxman interviewing David Cameron followed by audience questions. Paxman started on food banks, challenging Cameron …
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Salmond’s honesty gives us a tantalising view into post-election chaos
1March 26, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
In these days of people complaining that politicians don’t give a straight answer to questions, it has been refreshing to …
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Cameron turns the election campaign into a leadership campaign. Why?
Leave a commentMarch 25, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
What was he thinking? I mean, really, what was he thinking? The whole concept of the Conservatives’ election campaign was …
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Will the shy Tories lead them to a Likud-like victory?
Leave a commentMarch 24, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
A few weeks ago I wrote about the concept of the “shy Tory”. These are the members of the electorate …
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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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