Never Mind The Bar Charts

I recently appeared on the No Man's Land podcast, which describes itself as a, "pod on politics and centrism, for those stuck between political trenches". But rather than talk about whether or not the Liberal Democrats should aim to be centrist, we talked political polling. Hope you enjoy the conversation, which we recorded before Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes No Man's Land podcast. Host Steve O'Neil on Twitter. My book, Polling UnPacked. 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. Share the show's website, www.NeverMindTheBarCharts.com.  

A nice easy question for me and Callum Robertson to chew over in the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts. Here's what we made of it... Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Labour NEC member deselected as a councillor. The core vote argument. Michael Crick's Twitter account tracking Parliamentary selection contests. Callum Robertson on Twitter. For a Fair Deal: the Lib Dem plan for the UK. Sam Seaborn on taxing the rich on The West Wing. Electoral Shocks: The Volatile Voter in a Turbulent World by Edward Fieldhouse and others: Amazon, Bookshop, Waterstones.*  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. Share the show's website, www.NeverMindTheBarCharts.com. * This list includes affiliate links which generate a commission for each sale made.

I joined John Potter and the Lib Dem Pod team for a special show looking at why the party cancelled its autumn federal conference in Brighton. We talked about the decision with Federal Conference Committee Chair, Cllr Nick da Costa, Cllr Hannah Kitching and PPC Laura Gordon.  Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Why conference was cancelled and the alternatives considered. Latest information on hotel and travel refunds. 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. Share the show's website, www.NeverMindTheBarCharts.com.

Podcast favourite Tim Bale has a new book out about how Brexit happened - both why the referendum was called and then why it was lost. Discussing his book on the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts we get into how the real trigger of Brexit was the Blue Wall, not the Red Wall. Take a listen to find out why... Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Tim Bale on Twitter. Michael Crick's Twitter account about MP selections. Jonathan Portes's article on what Leave campaigners promised on immigration. Brexit: an accident waiting to happen? Why David Cameron called the 2016 Referendum - and why he lost it by Tim Bale: Amazon.* For the record by David Cameron: Amazon, Bookshop, Waterstones.*  Theme tune by Hugo Lee. Photo by Samuel Regan-Asante on Unsplash. 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. Share the show's website, www.NeverMindTheBarC

What are Conservative Party members like? Who are they going to pick for party leader? And what does it mean for the Liberal Democrats? Find out in the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts, where I teamed up again with the Lib Dem Pod and ace expert, Professor Tim Bale. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes The Lib Dem Pod. Tim Bale on Twitter. How do you make someone join a political party? One of the previous top shows with Professor Tim Bale. Footsoldiers: political party membership in the 21st century - one of Tim Bale's great studies of party membership with colleagues: 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. Share the show's website, www.NeverMindTheBarCharts.com. * This list includes affiliate links which generate a commission for each sale made.

How much more of a spring in our step should Liberal Democrats have after the Tiverton and Honiton win, and what are the lessons for the party? After discussing this last week with the Lib Dem Pod team, for the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts I invited back an outside expert, political scientist Paula Surridge. Let's see how much cold water Paula has to pour on Lib Dem hopes... Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes One, two, three Liberal Democrat Parliamentary by-election victories. Last year's popular episode with Paula after Chesham & Amersham. Graph from Will Jennings on the predictive power of Parliamentary by-elections.  The similarities between North Shropshire and Tiverton & Honiton: Paula Surridge's two graphs - one and two.  More in Common's polling and focus groups on trans rights. Follow council by-election results. UK in a Changing Europe website. Follow Paula Surridge on Twitter. Theme tune by Hugo Lee. New to

I joined the Lib Dem Pod team shortly after the amazing win for Richard Foord in Tiverton & Honiton to discuss how it happened and what it means. See what Sam, Richard, John and I made of the result... Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Richard Foord's amazing win. The wonderful Frank Doran. The Lib Dem Pod - do go have a listen to their other episodes. 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 was really lucky to have Professor Jane Green as my guest for the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts as she's co-author of an important new report into British politics: "Red Wall, Red Herring? Economic Insecurity and Voting Intention in Britain". Along the way she politely demolished some of what I've said in the past and provided pointers for what the Liberal Democrats should do in the future. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Red Wall, Red Herring? - full report from Jane Green and Roosmarijn de Geus. One of the key findings from the report. Will British politics become less volatile, and how important is ideology? - previous episode with Jane Green. Professor Jane Green 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.  

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