All across America, including against Florida Governor Charlie Crist, conservative candidates are standing against more centrist Republican candidates as part of the anti-‘RINO’ phenomenon that took off in New York. ‘RINO‘ equalling Republican In Name Only. Rand Paul, son of libertarian Ron Paul, is the poster boy for this insurgent movement as he seeks to […]
The CDU/CSU-FDP coalition is enjoying something of a honeymoon after Angela Merkel successfully formed a new post-election coalition with the reformist FDP. The Social Democrats are down to 21% – half of their support in 1998. The Irish government of Fianna Fáil's Brian Cowen is trailing Fine Gael by 35% to 25%. The Czech ODS […]
A number of special elections were held in America last night; one year after Obama was elected America's 44th President. The Democrats will want to say that last night's setbacks for their party were not a reflection on Barack Obama and it is true that most voters told pollsters that the President was not a […]
The latest Canadian opinion polls suggest that Stephen Harper's minority Conservative government enjoys a solid lead over the opposition parties. Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff's attempt to force an early election look doomed to failure – and his own position as his party's leader is now in jeopardy – with a clear majority of Canadians opposing […]
The US Republicans should have a good day on Tuesday. They are almost certain to reclaim the Governorship of Virginia and have an evens chance of winning the Governorship of new Jersey despite a late surge to the Democrat incumbent. The race with the greatest long-term implications is taking place in New York state, however. […]
The Telegraph says so. He told a Czech newspaper: "The train carrying the treaty is going so fast and it's so far that it can't be stopped or returned, no matter how much some of us would want that." Earlier in the week it had appeared – according to The Times – that Klaus would […]
The embattled Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has taken the time to declare his support for Tony Blair becoming European President through a letter published on the front page of a small circulation newspaper in Milan, Il Foglio (of which, according to The Times, his estranged wife is the largest stakeholder and one of his […]
Despite all the speculation the Czech president sounds resigned with this latest quote (our emphasis): “The people of Britain should have been doing something really much earlier and not just now, too late, saying something and waiting for my decision.” The FT writes: "With the EU piling on the pressure and threatening to strip the […]
The President of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus, may face impeachment if he does not sign the Lisbon Treaty according to The Economist's Charlemagne. "Well-informed types in Prague suggest the most effective pressure on him is the threat of being impeached for failing to perform his duties as president. Meanwhile, as first announced last week, […]
6.45pm: Click to watch Angela Merkel's victory speech (translated into English). 5.45pm: Dan Hamilton has just emailed in the exit poll: 2009 2005 CDU/CSU 33.5% (35.2%) SPD 23.5% (34.2%) FDP 14.5% (9.8%) Greens 10.0% (8.1%) Left […]
Both the Financial Times and The Economist hope that Angela Merkel will be able to break free of her 'grand coalition' with the left-leaning SPD after tomorrow's German elections. Latest opinion polls point to a race that is still too close to call. The CDU, when joined with the economically and socially liberal FDP, are […]
He is arrogant. He calls himself "Superman" and recently boasted: "I am by far the best prime minister Italy has had in its 150-year history." He is intolerant. He is taking legal action against a number of newspapers who have criticised him and recently took a commercial interest in the last TV station that had […]
David Frum writes: “Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper pulled all of Canada’s officials from the hall when Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began his address. “There are times when things are being said in this world that it is important that countries that have a moral compass stand up, make their views known and our absence […]
The Leader of Australia's Liberal Party, Malcolm Turnbull, has been in London this week. He has met all of the key figures in David Cameron's Conservative Party, including an hour long meeting with David Cameron, George Osborne and William Hague. There is probably no closer relationship between any two conservative parties in the world and […]
The leaders of Germany's main parties debated last night but no clear winner emerged according to instant opinion polls. Watch BBC report. A draw might, however, be something of a setback for Mrs Merkel. Her CDU party's great advantage has been her strong lead in all opinion polls as first choice for German Chancellor. The […]