Never Mind The Bar Charts

Pollster Keiran Pedley joined me on Never Mind The Bar Charts to discuss what we can learn from the 2022 local elections and how Labour, the Conservatives and the Lib Dems really did. Includes how I would have spun the results for Labour if I'd been in their press team and what Keiran thinks of my enthusiasm for the Liberal Democrat results. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes How useful are the local elections for telling us about national trends? Keir Starmer's approval ratings. "Are you better off?" - Keiran's piece for the New Statesman. Ipsos MORI polling archive. Keiran Pedley on Twitter. Theme tune by Hugo Lee. New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts. Enjoy the show? Spread the word Follow the show on Twitter. Like the show on Facebook. Share the show's website, www.NeverMindTheBarCharts.com.

I joined John Potter from the Lib Dem Pod podcast, along with Welsh leader Jane Dodds and Scottish campaign maestro Kevin Lang to talk about the 2022 local elections. Here's what we made of the results and what to do next... Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes The Lib Dem Pod podcast. Theme tune by Hugo Lee. New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts. Enjoy the show? Spread the word Follow the show on Twitter. Like the show on Facebook. Share the show's website, www.NeverMindTheBarCharts.com.

This month's edition of Never Mind The Bar Charts features my recent appearance on another podcast - the UK in a Changing Europe's Brexit and Beyond podcast, talking about opinion polls and my new book all about them with the ever-excellent Paula Surridge.   Show notes   The Brexit and Beyond podcast, complete with lots of previous excellent episodes to enjoy. Get your own copy of Polling Unpacked: the history, uses and abuses of political opinion polls. Paula Surridge on Twitter. Theme tune by Hugo Lee. New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.   Enjoy the show? Spread the word   Follow the show on Twitter. Like the show on Facebook. Share the show's website, www.NeverMindTheBarCharts.com.  

It was a warm welcome back to Professor Tim Bale in the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts as we returned to the five tests for an opposition party that Tim discussed before. Now we're in 2022, how are Labour and the Liberal Democrats doing on those tests? Listen on to find out... Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Previous review of state of Labour and the Liberal Democrats with Tim Bale. Tim Bale's Golden Halo research with colleagues, updated here. Caitlin Milazzo's appearance talking about how political leaflets are changing. What voters do and don't know about how finished first and second in their constituency. Albert Hirschman's Exit, Voice, and Loyalty: Bookshop (independent bookshops) / Amazon.* Small target strategies in Australian politics. Theme tune by Hugo Lee. New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts. Enjoy the show? Spread the word Follow the show on Twitter. Like the show on Faceboo

Internet advertising does not have the best of reputations. But when it comes to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ability to slip adverts telling the truth pass the eyes of Russian regulators makes it a way of battling Putin's disinformation campaigns. So for the the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts I spoke with Rob Blackie, the public front for a network of volunteers who are running online adverts to get the truth to ordinary Russians.   Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.   Show notes   Donate to the advertising campaign here. Marina Ovsyannikova protests on Russian TV. TV host blocks one minute silence for Russian war dead. Why internet censorship struggles with some words. Rob's previous appearances on the podcast. Rob Blackie on Twitter. Photo by Mathias P.R. Reding on Pexels.com. Theme tune by Hugo Lee. New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.   Enjoy the show? Spread the word   Fo

  It was great to welcome back Professor Rob Ford for the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts and to discuss with him both the long-term trends shaping British politics and how they may or may not be seen off by short term factors, such as a birthday cake.   Which means we also got into how grim, or not, the future looks for the Conservative Party. Take a listen to find out what we concluded...     Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.   Show notes   Rob Ford's previous appearance on the podcast to talk about his book, Brexitland. His co-author Maria Sobolewska also talking about the book. How Australia got compulsory voting. Ipsos-MORI leader ratings. The Daily Express front page being cited by Boris Johnson loyalists. How I was partly right but also massively wrong about Boris Johnson in 2019. Brexitland: Identity, Diversity and the Reshaping of British Politics by Rob Ford and Maria Sobolewska: Bookshop.org (independent bookshops) / 

The most excellent Lib Dem Pod team have just done a show on what 2022 holds for the Liberal Democrats with myself, Lib Dem chief executive Mike Dixon and party leader Ed Davey. So here it is for Never Mind The Bar Charts listeners too, including my biggest mistake since being elected President and what baffles me most about the party... Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Our plan for 2022 - my January report to party members. The Lib Dem Pod podcast. Theme tune by Hugo Lee. New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts. Enjoy the show? Spread the word Follow the show on Twitter. Like the show on Facebook. Share the show's website, www.NeverMindTheBarCharts.com.

To discuss Helen Morgan's stunning victory in the North Shropshire by-election, I welcomed Professor Tim Bale back to Never Mind The Bar Charts. We discussed what happened, its causes and the likely consequences. Here's what we made of it all. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Helen Morgan wins. Alan Wager on tactical voting. Caitlin Milazzo on political leaflets. Sam Coates interview of Boris Johnson. Tim Bale on Twitter. Theme tune by Hugo Lee. New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts. Enjoy the show? Spread the word Follow the show on Twitter. Like the show on Facebook. Share the show's website, www.NeverMindTheBarCharts.com.

It was lovely to welcome Paula Surridge back to Never Mind The Bar Charts. She is one of Britain’s experts on how people’s values influence their political and voting choices. She’s also one of the authors of a new book about the 2019 general election so one of the topics we discussed was why Boris Johnson won, before going on to why the Liberal Democrats, er..., didn't. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Previous episode with Paula Surridge: What Chesham and Amersham tells us about the future for the Liberal Democrats. Previous episode with Rob Ford: Culture wars, Brexit and electoral reform. Previous episode with Maria Sobolewska: Brexitland - The long-term factors shaping our politics, and what they mean for the future. The curious story of compulsory voting in Australia. Polling UnPacked Previous episode with Alan Wager: Unleash the bar charts! Tactical voting and the next general election. John Curtice on the impact of Revoke. Brex

Tactical voting took centre stage in the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts as I discussed the thought-provoking pamphlet Breaching the Blue Wall: could tactical voting help England's 'progressive' parties defeat the Conservatives? with one of its authors, Dr. Alan Wager. We focus on politics in England, but much of what we discuss is also applicable more widely too. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Breaching the Blue Wall - the pamphlet discussed in the show. Tactical voting research #1 - many voters don't know the tactical situation in their seat. Tactical voting research #2 - the impact of tactical voting websites. Paula Surridge's words of wisdom on understanding British politics. That top-rating previous podcast with Tim Bale. Alan Wager on Twitter. Theme tune by Hugo Lee. New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts. Enjoy the show? Spread the word Follow the show on Twitter. Like th

It's back to more serious matters in this episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts after last time's board game review - the role of money in British politics. I was delighted to have on the show Professor Justin Fisher, one of the country's leading experts on the topic and someone whose research into grassroots politics makes him a better informed expert than many on what really goes inside political parties. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Jeremy Thorpe's role in unlocking the beast of national political spending. The independent who got elected as an MP by campaigning to protect a hospital. The Elections Bill. Justin Fisher's blog post mentioning John O'Farrell and karaoke. Justin Fisher's work on non-members helping in election campaigns. Tim Bale on the upsides of getting non-members involved formally in parties. Justin Fisher on Twitter. Theme tune by Hugo Lee. New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to p

Something a little different from the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts: a board game review with Jim Williams. A political board game, of course. It'd be great to hear what you think of this game review. Should Jim and I play more games and talk about them in future episodes? Show notes Get your own copy of 1960: The Making of the President. Eugene Burdick. My cunning advantage over Jim. Canadian Check Shirt Guy (aka Rodney Smith) reviews 1960: The Making of the President on YouTube. How Nixon's poor shaving helped lose him the 1960 election. The famous Nixon/Khrushchev photo. Make Votes Matter - campaigning for electoral reform in the UK. If Then: How One Data Company Invented the Future by Jill Lepore: Bookshop (independent bookshops) / Amazon.* Codenames and 13 Days.* Theme tune by Hugo Lee. New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts. Enjoy the show? Spread the word Follow the show on Twitter. Like the show on Facebook. Share th

  There’s a new book of political alternative histories out called Prime Minister Priti: And other things that never happened. One of its editors is a Liberal Democrat. So who better to have back on Never Mind The Bar Charts than that editor… Duncan Brack.   Listen to us discuss how Eric Joyce having one drink too many caused Brexit (perhaps), what the appeal is of political counter-factuals, our favourite chapters from this book and how one change in the events of 1923 could have led to a very different political history for the Liberal Party.       Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.   Show notes   Our earlier episodes talking about Lord John Russell, Jo Grimond and David Steel. My contributions to previous volumes: what if the 1832 Great Reform Act had never happened (full chapter) and what if Chris Huhne had beaten Nick Clegg in the 2007 Lib Dem leadership contest? Prime Minister Priti: And other things that never happened edited by Duncan B

What happens at Lib Dem party conference? What's it like attending one? What are likely to be the big debates at this September's federal conference? What are the hidden gems to look out for? With the 2021 Liberal Democrat Federal Conference coming up and a special registration offer of just £1 for first time conference attendees, I joined Cllr John Potter and the Lib Dem Pod team for a special live show previewing conference. Whether you've never come to conference before, or have been going for many decades, the show will have something for you.   Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes It's only £1 to register for conference if you've not come to one before. That photo of a young colleague. The most excellent Lib Dem Pod. Theme tune by Hugo Lee. New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts. Enjoy the show? Spread the word Follow the show on Twitter. Like the show on Facebook. Shar

It was great to have Survation's Damian Lyons Lowe on Never Mind The Bar Charts, fresh off the back of his firm's success in polling the Hartlepool by-election. As well as talking about how he got into political polling and what to watch out for when a surprising poll appears, we discussed whether everyone is just paying too much attention to political polls. Does it really matter what they are currently saying? Listen to find out... Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Yes, it is fun watching people do Sudoku: Cracking The Cryptic's YouTube channel. Damian Lyons Lowe gets grilled by Andrew Neil. The ever-wise Martin Boon. Survation's successful Hartlepool polling. Get your latest polling fixes with Britain Elections and Elections Map UK on Twitter. Anthony Wells disagrees with agree/disagree questions. Keiran Pedley on Twitter and his podcast. John Curtice on what the polls say. Damian Lyons Lowe on Twitter. Theme tune by Hugo Lee. Ne

With the a new edition of 101 Ways To Win An Election out, I chatted with co-author Ed Maxfield for the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts. Roaming across Black Lives Matter, William Wilberforce, Matt Hancock, how the music industry is changing and one of the worst answers given in a political debate, we talked about political campaigning, our favourite chapters from our own book and other books we'd recommend. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Get the new edition of 101 Ways To Win An Election. How public opinion has shifted over taking the knee. How experience can lead to doctors making more mistakes. The different impact of the internet on the music and phone industries. Michael Dukakis gets it wrong on the death penalty. William Wilberforce by William Hague: Bookshop (independent bookshops) / Amazon / Waterstones.* Putting Voters in Their Place by Ron Johnston and Charles Pattie: Bookshop (independent bookshops) / Amazon /

  Lib Dems love by-elections. Lib Dems love winning by-elections. And Lib Dems love getting excited after by-elections.   So to help us all calibrate our levels of excitement after Sarah Green’s victory in Chesham and Amersham, it’s great to welcome back to Never Mind The Bar Charts, Paula Surridge, senior lecturer at Bristol University and an expert in how values are driving political choices in modern Britain.   Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.   Show notes   Lib Dem Newswire edition looking at the lessons from Chesham and Amersham. Brexit, British politics and values: Paula's article looking at how Brexit is still shaping British politics. The British General Election of 2019 by Rob Ford, Tim Bale, Will Jennings and Paula Surridge: Amazon / Waterstones.* Paula's previous appearance on the show, looking at what the data from 2019 general election says about the future for the Lib Dems. Paula Surridge on Twitter. Theme tune by Hugo Lee. Ne

  The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts is another special live show with the Lib Dem Pod team. This time we looked at proportional representation with Lib Dem Parliamentarians Wendy Chamberlain and Paul Tyler.   Why is proportional representation (PR) a good thing? Does it matter which version of PR is used? What's the route to securing it for more elections in the UK? How much should the party talk about it? Find out the answers to all these and more in the show.   Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.   Show notes   Liberal Democrat Newswire #148 also looked at the route to securing more electoral reform. Lib Dem Pod - a great podcast you should listen to. Theme tune by Hugo Lee. New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.   Enjoy the show? Spread the word   Follow the show on Twitter. Like the show on Facebook. Share the show's website, www.NeverMindTheBarCharts.com.  

We all know about the love Liberal Democrats have of delivering leaflets. So our dream professor of politics would be one who specialises in studying leaflets. Which is why I’m delighted to say that is just who I was speaking to for the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts, Professor Caitlin Milazzo of Nottingham University. We talked about how political leaflets are changing, the impact they have, how political campaigning isn't getting more negative and the evidence that female candidates are more likely than male candidates to make an important mistake with their election literature. Listen on to find out more, including how to avoid that mistake yourself... Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.   Show notes The Open Elections project. Upload a leaflet to the Open Elections project or help code those already uploaded here (currently after leaflets for the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd elections). Other research into political leaflets:

After the special joint edition with the Lib Dem Pod looking at cross-party cooperation, it’s back to the normal format this time – and welcome back to Duncan Brack for one of our historical dives into a former party leader. After having discussed Jo Grimond and David Steel, this time we’re headed into the 19th century with Lord John Russell. He served in government for at least part of every decade from the 1830s through to the 1860s, with two spells as Prime Minister, 13 years apart.  What should we make of his political career? Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Lord John Russell biography on the gov.uk website. My 'what if' about the 1832 Great Reform Act. The Prime Ministers, edited by Iain Dale: Bookshop (independent bookshops) / Amazon.* Theme tune by Hugo Lee. New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts. Enjoy the show? Spread the word Follow the show on Twitter. Like the show on Facebook. Sh