Month: September 2017

  • Centrists may be homeless but tainted Lib Dems won’t fill the vacuum

    Centrists may be homeless but tainted Lib Dems won’t fill the vacuum

    Struggling to find a talking point to take from last week’s Lib Dem conference, much of the media opted to focus on perhaps the ultimate example of what The Independent’s Jon Rentoul would call a QTWAIN – could Vince Cable become the country’s next PM? The BBC’s Question Time even devoted ten minutes to the…

  • Updates on the German and NZ Elections

    Updates on the German and NZ Elections

    Fourth term looks secure for Angela Merkel Three days out from the German Federal Election, Betfair markets could barely be offering a clearer signal towards the result. Despite short-odds punters getting burnt in a series of big polls around the globe recently, they are queueing up to back Angela Merkel’s CDU/CSU party at the minimum…

  • For all his great PR, Boris won’t succeed May

    For all his great PR, Boris won’t succeed May

    It is good to know there are still some timeless certainties in politics. The Conservative Party will be split over Europe. The media will be obsessed with leadership challenge rumours and Boris Johnson will be doing anything within his power to generate publicity for himself. Ever since the Foreign Secretary dropped his 4,000 word Brexit…

  • German Election Betting: Don’t bank on another grand coalition

    German Election Betting: Don’t bank on another grand coalition

    For yet another illustration of how the political landscape and betting sentiment is constantly changing fast, check out the odds for next Sunday’s German Federal Election. Back at the beginning of 2017, with the world still in shock following Brexit and Donald Trump’s election, many believed that mainstream Europe and most dramatically Germany could also…

  • Five reasons to back Labour for the next election

    Five reasons to back Labour for the next election

    After 18 months of relentless political drama, generating the biggest ever betting markets in our medium, the summer has felt slightly weird. Sure, there are ongoing Brexit negotiations, rumours of Tory leadership bids and daily Donald Trump developments but, on the political betting front, it has been relatively quiet. That’s because long-term markets will always…

  • Trump now rated likelier to leave early than not

    Trump now rated likelier to leave early than not

    For several weeks – roughly since the Charlottesville riots – the likelihood of Donald Trump failing to last a full term as President has consistently traded above 50% on Betfair markets. Reflecting our polarised times, in which anyone can create their own news bubble aligned with their politics, there is no shortage of confidence on…