[Andy McDandy]

Yes. Papers - and people - love to back a winner. Should Starmer's Labour maintain a consistent poll lead you'll see many on the right "reluctantly coming to agree that he has a point", while only the headbangers will nail their colours to Johnson's mast.

[Boiler]

It's a blip, caused by Johnson raising a tax. It'll be forgotten in less than a month and Labour will return to trailing by six or seven points.

Patel practically declaring war on the 'hated' French will restore their lead, you'll see.

[Bones McCoy]

Now then. What's going on here?

The alpaca effect.

That? Tastes like chicken.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Reckon that's an outlier. Not enough time for the policy to have cut through yet.

[The All New KevS]

Was taken before the policy was announced, wasn't it?

However, with their unerring knack of shooting themselves in the foot, I am expecting it to evaporate as news breaks of a fringe meeting at the Labour Conference that wishes to put forward a motion calling for the immediate execution of the Queen or similar.

[zuriblue]

Was taken before the policy was announced, wasn't it?

However, with their unerring knack of shooting themselves in the foot, I am expecting it to evaporate as news breaks of a fringe meeting at the Labour Conference that wishes to put forward a motion calling for the immediate execution of the Queen or similar.

And, of course, Priti Vacant is trying her best to push it off the front pages.

[Arrowhead]

It's a blip, caused by Johnson raising a tax. It'll be forgotten in less than a month and Labour will return to trailing by six or seven points.

Perhaps it's the events of the past few years eroding my remaining optimism, but sadly I suspect you will be proven absolutely correct.

Plus, Labour being perched on a distinctly tepid thirty five percent is hard to get very enthusiastic about.

[Crabcakes]

Plus, Labour being perched on a distinctly tepid thirty five percent is hard to get very enthusiastic about.

I'm actually quite pleased about it. A small Labour lead is good, but a spread of the vote into the bargain makes some form of coalition and cooperation at/after the next GE more likely. Part of any such deal is likely to be another attempt to rid us of FPTP, and this time (without the Tories rigging it) it might actually finally happen. Then we'll be rid of a Tory majority for good, the future will be vastly increased government by consensus and cooperation, and hopefully we can all get on with not really having to care about politics in the same way ever again.

[Boiler]

I'm actually quite pleased about it. A small Labour lead is good, but a spread of the vote into the bargain makes some form of coalition and cooperation at/after the next GE more likely. Part of any such deal is likely to be another attempt to rid us of FPTP, and this time (without the Tories rigging it) it might actually finally happen. Then we'll be rid of a Tory majority for good, the future will be vastly increased government by consensus and cooperation, and hopefully we can all get on with not really having to care about politics in the same way ever again.

I'll have a pint of whatever it is you're drinking

[Abernathy]

Yes. Papers - and people - love to back a winner. Should Starmer's Labour maintain a consistent poll lead you'll see many on the right "reluctantly coming to agree that he has a point", while only the headbangers will nail their colours to Johnson's mast.

Indeed. In yet another part of the Corbynite mythos/creed, the word of the sacred scrolls is that Tony Blair in 1997 had the support - as a Red Tory - of Rupert Murdoch and his unstoppable MSM tabloid clout. The truth is that Murdoch loves to support a winner, and only got on board with New Labour when it was obvious that it was going to win.

[Youngian]

Now then. What's going on here?

National insurance rise? I don’t understand why Johnson’s doing it. It might be pending loss of confidence due to falling revenues, growth and increased borrowing.

[Tubby Isaacs]

This would be fun. I think lots of these Reform defectors would come back in GE though.

[kreuzberger]

...
National insurance rise? I don’t understand why Johnson’s doing it. It might be pending loss of confidence due to falling revenues, growth and increased borrowing.

The fieldwork was before the policy was confirmed and well ahead of the ramifications being understood, especially the bit where Johnson was being explicitly called-out for lying and failing to keep his word.

Is is quite conceivable that the raw tabs were available to HMG ahead of Zahawi's outfit publishing the full report. Hence, Patel and her hurried policy of mass-drownings. Remember, this lot are always in campaigning mode.

Anyway, that's all conjecture. We'll see how the numbers look next week.

[Boiler]

Back to 'normal' I suspect - Conservatives with a three to five point lead.

[Boiler]

Whilst quickly looking at Bray on Twitter (God knows why...) I read someone had tweeted that Johnson plans to be in office longer than Thatcher.

Here we go: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/b ... ar-AAOjqEM

Mr Johnson is hoping to win multiple elections in order to address the “catastrophic” economic mistakes of the past 40 years and use Brexit to rectify inequalities across the country, according to The Times.

“Boris will want to go on and on,” a cabinet minister told the newspaper. “The stuff Dom [Dominic Cummings] was saying about him going off into the sunset was nonsense. He’s very competitive. He wants to go on for longer than Thatcher.”

So it would seem he now wants the entire UK as his vanity project.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Dead cat.

[Boiler]

Amusingly, the top-rated BTL comment on the DM website at the moment is...

Screenshot 2021-09-11 at 12-42-37 Boris Johnson wants to be in charge for another DECADE.png (5.26 KiB) Viewed 3074 times

[mattomac]

Now then. What's going on here?

National insurance rise? I don’t understand why Johnson’s doing it. It might be pending loss of confidence due to falling revenues, growth and increased borrowing.

Sunak wouldn’t allow him to announce without a costing plan, I assume it was because Sunak didn’t want to appear the enemy when it was announced several months after how it was being funded.

[Tubby Isaacs]

He's shot Labour' fox by going left on economics again.

[Tubby Isaacs]

The big Telegraph MRP poll there was done after the announcement, though maybe not long enough after to be fully digested.

I think Spaffer has a problem. Once taxes have gone up, he's vulnerable to all the "government spends X on Y" stuff. Though funnily enough, I don't expect certain lobby groups to make as much of this as they did pre 2010.