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lots of things are essential to life, but they are not free, eg food, water, electricity. Broadband is free in schools, libraries, airports trains etc, also available if you have mobile phone signal. Some people live in isolated areas where they don't have mobile phone signal, they will have to...

BJ for comparison? that's setting the bar pretty low. I am for lowish tax and smallish government, concentrating on education, healthcare, roads, energy. I am not particularly for public ownership unless it's related to healthcare or transport, OK for water but not free broadband. For me, JC is...

At the time, it was between Jeremy Hunt and BJ. BJ was the choice of the brexiteers so BJ edged it. I was still surprised at the scale of BJ's win in the ensuing GE. So many people believed that JC was unelectable.

I don't mind Hunt or Gove.

I was one of those small "c" voters after my naturalisation. I voted for John Major and did not regret it. In 97, Blair promised not to raise taxes and would keep to conservatives spending plan for at least a year. That was enough re-assurance for me. I think Starmer is wise not to make much...

I only quoted the wiki page. I did not make up those numbers. If you read the wiki page I linked to, you can see that their method (multilevel regression with poststratification MRP ) is standard method for estimating seats. As for the Daily Mail's speculation that JC could start a new party...

The polls reflect voting intentions. Labour currently leads, Tories comes second. Starmer is de facto PM in waiting. if there is an election now, BJ will lose the red wall that he won last time. You don't even need polls to tell you that. BJ's promise 'Levelling Up' has not materialised, that's...

maybe not a ringing endorsement but still enough momentum to remove the current conservative government. Just wait a few months for those small "c" conservative voters to be fed up with rising taxes, poor public services and 5%-7% inflation. The polling gap will widen then to 10% or more.

I believe that those on the Labour Left who would rather that BJ remains instead of Starmer will be in very small number. On the other hand, small "c" conservative voters who are sick of seeing BJ and the likes of Owen Paterson or Pritti Patel on TV will be in much larger number.

Starmer did not come from a rich family. His dad was a toolmaker, not investment banker. The thing is, both Starmer and LibDem's Ed Davey are similar in that they are the opposite of flamboyant. May be the country would do better with non-flamboyant leaders.

No, you want BJ - you have made it plenty clear. On the contrary. Labour is more unified now than under the last management.

Who would the hardcore Labour left vote for if they would not vote Labour because of Starmer's soft policies?

so you wish. Conservative lead in opinion polls until last November, it's now all gone, reflecting reversal of fortune. Currently, Labour leads by 4%-5% (39%/34%, Opinium 5-Jan, YouGov 6-Jan).

are you saying that Labour's left wing voters won't vote for Starmer?

Starmer isn't Blair II. Starmer has no charisma, and that's an advantage because people assume that he's incapable of lying.

that is not important for small "c" conservative England vote.

he may have got its cue from the 6-Jan anniversary of last year Capitol invasion of Trump's supporters. BJ could copy Trump and have his own Proud Boys and our own British 'Q'anon.

Labour is leading the poll since beginning of December, currently about 7%.

his model [Philip Thomas] expects the hospitalisations to peak today (06-Jan, 3864). I reckon that is too soon and too high any way. There are factors like the cold weather and public transport. I reckon hospitalisations will peak around 20-Jan and around 2,700.

I think it's a risky tactic compared to a fourth jab. Most people in our age group tend to have some frailty, violent or persistent coughing associated with covid may cause damage.