Level up: Boosting the regions might mean levelling down London Will London pay the cost of levelling up the UK regions? Except for updates on the coronavirus, no ministerial appearance these days is complete without mention of the government’s professed intention to “level up”. This seems to mean a desire to do something — usually something to do with infrastructure spending — for the so-called “left-behind” places that voted Leave in 2016, and especially those “red [...]
DEBATE: Who has the most to gain from tonight’s TV debate? Who has the most to gain from tonight’s TV debate: Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn? Lauren McEvatt, managing director at Morpeth Consulting, says BORIS JOHNSON. The spectre of Theresa May’s decision to dodge the debate in 2017 looms in the minds of Conservative strategists. It was a move that proved her poor leadership. Just taking [...]
DEBATE: Now the Brexit Party has joined the campaign, is it time to switch to proportional representation? Now the Brexit Party has joined the campaign, is it time to switch to proportional representation? Professor Tim Bale, co-author of Footsoldiers, a forthcoming book on Britain’s party members, says YES. It may come as a surprise to some that Nigel Farage is a fan of electoral system reform. After all, he’s not normally keen [...]
DEBATE: Should a General Election follow the appointment of a new Tory leader and Prime Minister? March 29, 2019 Should a General Election follow the appointment of a new Tory leader and Prime Minister? Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary, University of London, says YES. There is no constitutional requirement for anyone who takes over as Prime Minister to call a General Election, although one could be forced upon them were they to [...]
Should Ukip just dissolve itself? March 1, 2017 Rachel Cunliffe, deputy editor of Reaction, says Yes. Ukip had two things holding it together: a cast-iron raison d’être and Nigel Farage. Now both are gone. Demonise Farage all you want, but the sheer force of his personality got him not only on the political map but centre stage. His combination of controversy and charisma [...]
As Labour Party splits over leaving the European Union intensify, can the party survive Brexit? February 6, 2017 Andrew Hawkins, chairman of ComRes, says Yes. The Labour Party is setting new standards for “normal” and “shambolic”, the Article 50 farrago being merely the latest milepost in what for many Labour MPs is a living nightmare. The Party is in an appalling mess but ironically its refusal to implode is evidence that it is [...]
With the Fabian Society predicting Labour could win just 140 seats at the next election, is the party in terminal decline? January 4, 2017 Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary, University of London, says Yes. Businesses and political parties both operate in markets where competition can be cut-throat, where mistakes can be costly, where leadership and branding matter, and where, ultimately, the customer is king. Yet there’s one big difference: businesses – even firms so familiar we [...]
Would a 2017 General Election mean a landslide victory for the Conservative Party? September 20, 2016 Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary, University of London, says Yes. Unless everything we think we know about politics turns out to be wrong, the Tories are going to win the next election. They are way ahead of Labour on both economic competence and best Prime Minister. Just how big that win will [...]
