Iain Dale v Political Betting...............no contest!

Iain Dale is very fond of biggin' himself up as the most read political blog in the country. However, the reality is that he is out hit 4:1 by Political Betting. Now, Mike Smithson is a well known Lib Dem, former Councillor and PPC, but his site is probably the most politically neutral in the country. Why? Because its focus is on the betting odds, not the political rhetoric. In contrast Iain (God bless'im) is overtly partisan to, on occasions, the point of hysteria! So I am pleased to see that Mike is taking on Iain's inflated claims by advertising just how popular his site is. Although, having met at a bbq on Saturday, he did slightly blot his copy book (!)- we were discussing the role John Major may have had in Gordon Brown's disastrous decision to abandon plans for an election last year, and for some reason got chatting about IDS. I said how impressed I had been when talking to him at an event last year. Unlike most politicos who talk to you with one eye over your shoulder in the hope of escaping/talking to someone more important (what do you mean it is only me that happens to?!), IDS did nothing of the sort. We must have spoken for at least 20 minutes with no sign of him wanting to escape. Mike pointed out that it may not have been my scintillating conversation, but because no one else would speak to him!