Tag Archives: GE2015
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Election expenses – you can’t prosecute someone if they haven’t broken any laws
1May 11, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
So yesterday the Crown Prosecution Service announced that they would not be prosecuting any Conservative MPs for breach of expenses …
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No ‘Tax lock’ would be sensible economics.
Leave a commentApril 26, 2017 by Paul Goldsmith
Back during preparations for the 2015 General Election, there was a hole in the ‘media grid’ political parties use to …
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Why “Right-to-buy” Housing Association properties will never happen
2June 1, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
I would have loved to have seen the Conservatives’ manifesto planning whiteboard. I can imagine there were quote a few …
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“We must look deep into our souls but we mustn’t open our veins” – What Labour should do next
Leave a commentMay 13, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
The election result unleashed a torrent of ferocious anguish from the North London bien-pensant metropolitan elite that was so full …
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The end of the Liberal Democrats?
2May 12, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
The Liberal Democrats are trumpeting the five thousand new members that registered with them in the aftermath of their defenestration …
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Why Labour lost
5May 8, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
I’m sure many people with far more knowledge of these things than me will attempt this over the next few …
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The day Esther McVey lost her seat (clue, it wasn’t today)
Leave a commentMay 8, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
Esther McVey didn’t lose her Wirral West seat today, Esther McVey lost her Wirral West seat on December 18th 2013. …
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5am questions- The Lib Dem meltdown and a possible Tory Majority.
Leave a commentMay 8, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
I write this just after a massive moment. The Liberal Democrat Business Secretary, Vince Cable, one of the most powerful people …
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5 Midnight thoughts after the three Sunderland results.
Leave a commentMay 7, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
1) The Pope is Catholic and Labour have won three seats in Sunderland. 2) The good news for Labour is …
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YouGov Poll has a different prediction. Sounds more right, but might not be.
Leave a commentMay 7, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
Just when the Twittersphere was about to go into meltdown with rumours of a Labour coup to get rid of …
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It’s polling day! – Five things to know about today
2May 7, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
1. Rules for the poll booth – For those of you for whom today is your first opportunity to vote, congratulations, …
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How should I vote tomorrow? 2 – the Parties
2May 6, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
The problem for me is that I know too much. It is not a matter of conceit, but a fact …
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How should I vote tomorrow 1 – the candidates
1May 6, 2015 by Paul Goldsmith
I’ve been granted some level of significance in this election. As one of the lucky 100,000 swing voters in marginal seats …
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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