Latest voting intention and leadership ratings opinion pollsWelcome to my summary of the latest national voting intention polls for the next general election, along with the latest MRP projections and party leadership ratings. If you'd like to find out more about how polls work, how reliable they are and how to make sense of them, check out my book, Polling UnPacked: the History, Uses and Abuses of Political Opinion Polls, or sign up for my weekly email, The Week in Polls: General election voting intention polls PollsterConLabLDGrnRefLab leadFieldwork Find Out Now 18% (+1) 16% (-1) 12% (-1) 19% (+2) 25% (-1) -9% (4th, vs Ref) 27/5 GB ... (more) |
Swansea relaunches - a small story about why young Liberals matterAfter a short hiatus, the Swansea University Liberal Democrats are back. The Swansea and Gower local party, working alongside university staff and students, is reviving the society at a moment when both local and national politics need it most. Student political organising in Wales is not new. The Bangor Debating and Political Society has been running since 1849, and generations of Welsh public life have passed through rooms like it. The Swansea society is a small addition to a long tradition, and a welcome one. The standard line is that young people have walked away from politics. It is not ... (more) |
Observations of an Expat: The Elephant ReturnsFor several years the Brexit elephant sat quietly in a corner of Westminster, ignored by politicians who hoped it would eventually wander away. Instead, it has stood up, stretched its legs and begun stomping through the corridors of power once again. "Rejoin," Brexit was a "catastrophic mistake," declared wannabe prime minister Wes Streeting. Not so fast, said other main contender Andy Burnham, he hoped Britain would rejoin "in my lifetime" (Burnham is 56), but feared that any sudden rush to rejoin would further divide an already divided country. Former PM Tony Blair then entered the fray with his 6,000-word essay. ... (more) |
The history of fish and chipsIt was Robin Cook who announced that Chicken Tikka Masala is the new national dish of Britain, but as David Olusoga told a session at the Hay Literary Festival the idea that the so-called previous favourite, fish and chips, is an exclusively British dish is misplaced. As Wikipedia recounts Fish-and-chip shops first appeared in the UK in the 1860s, and by 1910 there were over 25,000 of them across the UK. This increased to over 35,000 by the 1930s, but eventually decreased to approximately 10,000 by 2009. They add that the British government safeguarded the supply of fish and chips ... (more) |
Duncan Dunlop MSP on the failings of the child care systemHere's the powerful maiden speech on the Scottish child care system made by the Lib Dem MSP Duncan Dunlop. He was elected from the South of Scotland region, thanks to the more sensible electoral system that pertains north of the border. (more) |
The Joy of Six 1525"Unlike Blair, he was deeply and passionately engaged in the current moment. He had not fossilised his world view. He was intellectually present. He spoke clearly and trenchantly about what populism is and the threat that it poses. 'They are careless of the strife they cause,' he said. 'They trade on grievances in our society. Where ills exist, they exaggerate them. They then blame those ills on minority groups of a different race or religion. It is ugly politics that deserves no place in our country.'"Ian Dunt says John Major is a better former prime minister than Tony Blair will ... (more) |
ALDC by-election report, 28th MayOne principal authority by-election took place this week in Swansea. The Conservatives were attempting to defend this council seat. Swansea Council, Fairwood This week's by-election was triggered by the death of long-serving Conservative councillor Paxton Hood-Williams, who represented this council ward for over 20 years. At the most recent council elections in 2022, the Conservatives topped the poll, albeit with a much smaller majority than in 2017, whilst we finished in last place. Turnout fell by nearly 10% in this by-election compared to 2022. We were able to leapfrog into first place, whilst the defending Conservatives plummeted down to fifth ... (more) |
Sanne Dijkstra-Downie's maiden speech in the Scottish ParliamntSanne spoke yesterday in the debate on Scotland's energy. (more) |
Man in Ally McCoist tree dispute takes matter to Scottish GovernmentThe Herald wins our coveted Headline of the Day Award. (more) |
Lord Bonkers' Diary: A nation holds its breathIt's been an eventful week with Lord Bonkers, but let me recover my breath and acknowledge a couple of debts. The idea of Andy Burnham employing a sealed tram came from Andrew Crowther on Bluesky. The list of Labour grandees recalled by Starmer also comes from Bluesky. It was involuntarily contributed by Brynley Heaven, who once wrote a guest post here. I had intended to use the idea but substitute my own choice of names. When it came to it I couldn't improve on his list. Bad writers borrow, darling, but good writers steal. Sunday News reaches me that Labour ... (more) |