UK General Election 2015

[doubleup]

Some interesting stuff posted but there are still some people who live in a bubble. 

I see the poor, the elderly and the fat are being picked on.  Makes a change from the foreigner. 

How much does the professional gambler/poker player cost the economy?

What's needed is a fresh approach, successive governments stick to the same failed policies of yester year. 

In what sense Kmac?  Lack of income tax paid?  Cost to NHS from lifestyle? 

Both. 

Quite a few poker players gambles are over weight, smokers heavy drinkers and over indulge in in many other excesses.

Cash professional poker players prob generate more tax on their income than other occupations due to gambling duty.  A rakeback pro making 20k at 30% rakeback would generate 7k tax.  A betting exchange pro also generates tax.


Profitable bookmaker sports/horse betting players though - including ones that are good at Scottish football picks- cost the exchequer.

Who is the Scottish football picks dig at and why just out of interest ? Ansell?

Kmac good scottish soccer pundit imo

(obv sample size issues)

[TightEnd]

there was a wonderful article by Matthew Engel in the New Statesman about betting on politics.

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2015/01/art-political-wager-how-make-money-betting-general-election

[DungBeetle]

Labour seem to have got some momentum back this week.  Quite a bit of cheap point scoring, but also some popular policies announced as well.

[Longines]

A political punter has placed the biggest ever bet on a general election - staking £200,000 on the outcome being a hung parliament.

And it's not the first time he's placed a bet on the result of a vote - he's playing with the winnings from a previous mammoth wager on the Scottish Independence referendum.

The unnamed man, from London, placed the bet at 2/9 odds, meaning he could profit to the tune of £44,444.

His earlier bet, a record breaking £900,000 stake on a 'No' vote in the Scottish independenceg referendum, made a profit of £193,333.33.

William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said: "This gentleman now holds the record for largest stake gambled on both the Scottish Referendum and the General Election, and has effectively staked his winnings from the Referendum on a Hung Parliament"

The Scottish referendum stake was placed over three dates in the same betting shop, a William Hill spokesperson confirmed the general election wager was made over the phone.

Another William Hill customer in Devon has already placed 23 bets totalling £23,400 on a hung parliament and stands to walk away with £51,000 if he's right.

[doubleup]

This HSBC tax issue is a huge opportunity for Labour.  They should hammer Osborne - how can he not have known about the huge policy decision to go soft on rich tax dodgers?

[RickBFA]

I stumbled across this analysis of public spending, just had a quick look, its an interesting read

http://www.ifs.org.uk/bns/bn92.pdf

That summary is very interesting.  Kind of dispels the myths that tories always cut spending on benefits for the poor

 'Despite large increases in the generosity of
benefits for lower income families with children and lower income pensioners social security
spending has grown less quickly than it did under the Conservatives'.

pretty much confirms labour's gross over spend though during their time in power and how poorly the money was spent in general.

'If the Government had managed to maintain the “bang for each buck” at the level it inherited
in 1997, it would have been able to deliver the quantity and quality of public services it
delivered in 2007 for £42.5 billion less. Alternatively, it could have improved the quality and
quantity of public services by a further 16% for the same cost.'

 

Remember that the IFS isn't an unbiased organisation.

Interesting to see Ed Balls quoting the IFS on The Andrew Marr Show this morning, he seems to have confidence in their analysis.

[rfgqqabc]

However, it is an interesting policy point - should you take advantage of low interest rates to invest in infrastructure?  I think borrowing for investment in social housing for example would have huge benefits.

I don't see why you wouldn't choose to take advantage of it.


Not really sure how anyone thought doubleup wasn't joking.

[TightEnd]

Elections Etc ‏@ElectionsEtc

NEW #GE2015 FORECAST: 8% chance of Tory majority, 5% Labour majority, 86% Hung Parliament http://wp.me/p4Be9H-ee 

[arbboy]

Elections Etc ‏@ElectionsEtc

NEW #GE2015 FORECAST: 8% chance of Tory majority, 5% Labour majority, 86% Hung Parliament http://wp.me/p4Be9H-ee  

makes 1/4 look tempting hung parl

[titaniumbean]

not being a regular tv viewer, I hadn't seen this before, but Inside the Commons on BBC may be the most pathetic thing i've ever seen. sums up exactly why the system is impotent and ineffective. A bunch of spoilt children fighting for attention and who can sit in the big chair whilst inflicting catastrophic shitstorms on gen pop.

I honestly was under the impression it was a satirical show until I rechecked.


Was whole heartedly supportive of the old Knighted tory who got very angry and was shouting and berating everyone for being awful. +1 to what he said (unsurprisingly because of how the shitty system works everyone was jeering a petty comment or talking to each other throughout, classy to the end).


 

[TightEnd]

Order of debates announced

As the result of drawing of lots by the broadcasters (BBC, ITV, Sky and Channel 4) the order of the Party Leaders Televised General Election Debates is:

2 April: ITV - Debate between the Party Leaders of the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, UKIP, the SNP, the Green Party and Plaid Cymru.

16 April: BBC - Debate between the Party Leaders of the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, UKIP, the SNP, the Green Party and Plaid Cymru.

30 April: Sky and Channel 4 - Head to head debate between the Leader of the Conservative Party and the Leader of the Labour Party.

[redsimon]

Order of debates announced

As the result of drawing of lots by the broadcasters (BBC, ITV, Sky and Channel 4) the order of the Party Leaders Televised General Election Debates is:

2 April: ITV - Debate between the Party Leaders of the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, UKIP, the SNP, the Green Party and Plaid Cymru.

16 April: BBC - Debate between the Party Leaders of the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, UKIP, the SNP, the Green Party and Plaid Cymru.

30 April: Sky and Channel 4 - Head to head debate between the Leader of the Conservative Party and the Leader of the Labour Party.

Razz at APAT in London or watch the leaders first debate, now there's a choice

[The Camel]

A political punter has placed the biggest ever bet on a general election - staking £200,000 on the outcome being a hung parliament.

And it's not the first time he's placed a bet on the result of a vote - he's playing with the winnings from a previous mammoth wager on the Scottish Independence referendum.

The unnamed man, from London, placed the bet at 2/9 odds, meaning he could profit to the tune of £44,444.

His earlier bet, a record breaking £900,000 stake on a 'No' vote in the Scottish independenceg referendum, made a profit of £193,333.33.

William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said: "This gentleman now holds the record for largest stake gambled on both the Scottish Referendum and the General Election, and has effectively staked his winnings from the Referendum on a Hung Parliament"

The Scottish referendum stake was placed over three dates in the same betting shop, a William Hill spokesperson confirmed the general election wager was made over the phone.

Another William Hill customer in Devon has already placed 23 bets totalling £23,400 on a hung parliament and stands to walk away with £51,000 if he's right.

I haven't followed the market at all, but 2/9 about a hung parliament seems ridiculously short at this stage.

I would have laid the geezer 1/4

[TightEnd]

"Next Tory leader" odds in October 1974.  Within 6 months, Thatcher was leader.

Click to see full-size image.

[mulhuzz]

barbie bus, anyone?