Busy week  

I’m facing a very busy week of work, so I don’t expect to do much posting on Davos Newbies.

According to a senior source… 

Roy Greenslade, who is usually a tiresome bore in The Guardian media section, has a helpful guide to unnamed sources today.

A senior source – someone who really knows what’s happening

A source – someone who wishes he knew what was happening

An insider – someone who hopes to know enough, one day, to be a source

A friend – the celebrity’s PR

A close friend – the celebrity

A senior backbencher – an MP you may have heard of

A backbencher – an MP no one has ever heard of

A Downing Street aide – someone who once met the prime minister

A senior government adviser – the policeman outside No 10

A very senior source – Peter Mandelson

Useful chart  

Brad DeLong provides a very useful chart to the swing states in the US presidential election.

2000 Presidential Election: Democratic Plus Green Vote Share Relative to National Average

District of Columbia 39.3%

Rhode Island 16.0%

Massachusetts 15.2%

New York 12.7%

Hawaii 10.6%

Connecticut 9.2%

Maryland 8.1%

New Jersey 8.0%

Vermont 6.5%

Delaware 6.4%

California 6.2%

Illinois 5.7%

Maine 3.7%

Washington 3.2%

Michigan 2.2%

Minnesota 2.0%

Pennsylvania 1.6%

Oregon 1.0%

New Mexico 0.3%

Wisconsin 0.3%

National Totals 0.0%

New Hampshire -0.3%

Iowa -0.3%

Florida -0.6%

Ohio -2.2%

Missouri -2.4%

Nevada -2.4%

Tennessee -2.9%

Arizona -3.4%

Colorado -3.5%

Arkansas -3.8%

West Virginia -3.9%

Virginia -4.5%

Louisiana -5.4%

Georgia -7.9%

North Carolina -8.0%

Kentucky -8.3%

Alabama -8.4%

South Carolina -8.7%

Indiana -9.3%

Mississippi -9.6%

Kansas -10.5%

Texas -11.0%

Montana -11.8%

Oklahoma -12.7%

Alaska -13.2%

South Dakota -13.5%

Nebraska -14.3%

North Dakota -14.8%

Utah -20.0%

Idaho -21.0%

Wyoming -22.8%