The Labour limbo continues: the party is down to 18 with Mori—level with the Lib Dems. This is, according to Political Betting, a Westminster voting intention poll. The Tories are on 40. I can’t think of the last time one of the big two was in the teens in a Westminster voting intention poll.

I'm on The Westminster Hour tonight (Sunday): Radio 4, 10pm. If you miss the show you'll be able to listen again on their website. If you want to get advanced notice of my media appearances like this one, you can use the media events service at Flock Together. You've got three choices: Using this feed: or By email: register at FlockTogether and pick “Media appearances” as one of the categories...

The complaint now being widely voiced, referred to in passing in his recent posting about the nuclear ambitions of Iran by our own Johnathan Pearce, is that bloggers like me droning on and on about this Smeargate saga are perhaps falling into the trap of taking the contents of the "Westminster Village" (see also: "Westminster Bubble") somewhat too seriously. There is, said JP, a world out there, a...

According to Adam Price the new MORI poll giving the Tories 52%, Labour 24% and the Lib Dems 12% if turned into seats at Westminster would give the SNP-Plaid group 25-30 seats, making them the third force in UK politics and leaving the Lib Dems in the wilderness. According to Blog Menai the poll leaves the Lib Dems with 8 seats. The silver line in the Lib Dems' cloud is that once again they

I'm back on The Westminster Hour tonight (Sunday): Radio 4, 10pm. If you miss the show you'll be able to listen again on their website. If you want to get advanced notice of my media appearances like this one, you can use the media events service at Flock Together. You've got three choices: Using this feed: or By email: register at FlockTogether and pick “Media appearances” as one of the categ...

I'm back on The Westminster Hour tonight (Sunday): Radio 4, 10pm. If you miss the show you'll be able to listen again on their website. If you want to get advanced notice of my media appearances like this one, you can use the media events service at Flock Together. You've got three choices: Using this feed: or By email: register at FlockTogether and pick “Media appearances” as one of the categ...

The turnout collapsed, he received 5,000 fewer votes than last time he stood, and public opinion has not budged according to ConservativeHome. David Davis describes this as a "stunning message". To excitable bloggers maybe! Some people initially claimed this would be an example of the mainstream media (MSM in the blogosphere) calling it wrong, and the Westminster Village being out of touch. In fac...

I wonder whether, now the dust has settled a bit, some of the excitable blog chatter about the David Davis resignation looks a bit daft. Remember, the pitch was that it was the "Westminster Village"* that was out of touch with popular sentiment by reporting the resignation as a reckless act. Outside the Mainstream Media (or MSM in bloggertarian speak) the public was right behind DD in his heroic s...

A weekly round-up of snippets from Westminster.

I have said here before that PMQs owes more to show business than it does to politics - but in an era of 24 hour news it is still important. OK, not many people will watch the whole half an hour, but through news coverage the media will be the message and the snappy sound bite or calculated put down can have a big impact on public opinion. The fact is, over the last year, Cameron has had by far th...