That’s one of the things with forecasting. Especially when they are supposedly safe. A reporter for the Financial Times in England now has to find out.
London – Betting is a popular sport in Great Britain. With English bookmakers you can bet on almost everything, from the possible name of the next offspring of the royal family to the question of whether or not the Pope will shout “We are the Champions” in Rome if the Italians win at the 2021 European Championship on St. rather not. In the first case the odds are gigantic, in the second the stake should only just be reached.
And the British take their bets very seriously. For example, a reporter for the Financial Times kept his word after a false election forecast and put the phrase “then I’ll eat my hat” into action. Jim Pickard, the newspaper’s chief political reporter, made the announcement that he would eat his headgear, in German most likely to be compared with “then I’ll eat a broomstick” in case the Liberal Democrats win a by-election in the English constituency of Chesham Amersham near London on Twitter.
By-elections in London: Boris Johnson suffered a defeat
Since that constituency was founded in 1974, the Tories have won more than half of the votes in every election. But now Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative party in the constituency on the outskirts of London has suffered a significant defeat. In the by-elections for a lower house seat, candidate Peter Fleet only got 35.5 percent of the vote. The liberal democratic candidate Sarah Green won with a clear majority of 56.7 percent. The Labor Party came fourth with 1.6 percent of the vote, its worst result in decades.
Jim Pickard: “I’ll Eat My Hat”
The day before the election, Jim Pickard had stubbornly doubted such an election result. “I see a lot of speculation today, but I’ll eat my hat if the Liberal Democrats win here.” Not a very daring prognosis – the Conservatives had always kept the affluent constituency comfortable.
is this how I expected to spend my 40s, probably not
— Jim Pickard (@PickardJE) June 18, 2021
The reporter was taught better – and he kept his promise with the simple announcement “Repentance”. After three hat snippets, however, it was enough for Pickard. There is one thing that is even worse than stupid tweets, he said at the end of his video: “Death by eating hats”. He would not have got away with the bookmakers in London. Bet not completely made, bet lost. (Stefan Krieger)
