Never Mind The Bar Charts

  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

Never Mind The Bar Charts and the most excellent Lib Dem Pod teamed up for another joint show, taking a look this time at lessons in coalitions and cross-party cooperation. We have an excellent panel to discuss it all: Kirsty Williams the brilliant Liberal Democrat Minister of Education in the Welsh Government and member of the Senedd since 1999 Duncan Brack from the Liberal Democrat History Group Polly Mackenzie, Chief Exec of the think tank Demos and special advisor to Nick Clegg during the Westminster coalition This was our first attempt at a joint live show, so feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Duncan Brack's book chapter on cross-party cooperation. My previous podcast on cross-party cooperation with Duncan Brack. Follow the most excellent Lib Dem Pod on Twitter. Get the most excellent Lib Dem Pod on YouTube. Theme tune by Hugo Lee. New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts. Enjoy the show

One of the most popular episodes last year was with Rob Ford, discussing Brexitland, the book he’s co-written that takes a look and the long-term social and demographic changes driving British politics. So I’m delighted this time to welcome to the show his co-author, Professor Maria Sobolewska, to discuss further their book and its implications for British politics. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Last year's popular episode with Maria's co-author, Rob Ford: Culture wars, Brexit and electoral reform. How predictions after the 1992 general election didn't work out. Brexitland: Identity, Diversity and the Reshaping of British Politics by Maria Sobolewska and Rob Ford: Waterstones / Amazon / Bookshop (independent bookshops).* Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain by Sathnam Sanghera: Waterstones / Amazon / Bookshop (independent bookshops).* Professor Maria Sobolewska on Twitter. Photo by Samuel Regan-Asante on Unsplash.

In this episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts, I talk with the Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson, Munira Wilson, about what it's like being an MP, how over-centralisation may be hindering the struggle against coronavirus and how best to communicate with the public. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Interview with Dr Ben Johnson from Nature. How local government could and should have been used to make track and trace work. How Germany is approaching protecting civil liberties while tackling coronavirus. Listen also to my interview with Jim Killock. Help for (would-be) Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidates: the Campaign for Gender Balance, the Liberal Democrat Campaign for Race Equality and the Parliamentary Candidates Association. The Lib Dem campaign for frontline care works. Munira Wilson on Twitter. Enjoy the show? Spread the word Follow the show on Twitter. Like the show on Facebook.

Welcome to the first episode in 2021 of Never Mind The Bar Charts. As regular listeners may have guessed given the timing, for this year I’m going to revert to monthly shows after last year’s near-weekly shows. Let’s call this then season three, and for the season opener I’m so pleased to have an absolute A-lister when it comes to how politics works in the UK, Professor Meg Russell of the Constitution Unit. A special adviser to Robin Cook when he was Leader of the House of Commons, Meg played a key role in the Wright Committee which led to a wave of Parliamentary procedural reform. We talked about a new report she has co-authored, taking a look at how to improve the way Parliament works. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Taking Back Control: Why the House of Commons Should Govern its Own Time. The Wright Committee. House of Commons Standing Order 14: its history and impact. Legislation at Westminster: Parliamentary Actors and Influence

I was joined again by Professor Tim Bale for the last episode in 2020 of Never Mind The Bar Charts. We took a look back at Tim's five lessons for opposition parties and discussed how both Labour and the Liberal Democrats are doing on each of them. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Tim Bale's five lessons for opposition parties. The Liberal Democrat record in coalition. Alistair Darling promising bigger cuts than Margaret Thatcher. The Thornhill Report into what went wrong for the Lib Dems in 2019. What are the possible Lib Dem target seats like? The Politics of Competence by Will Jennings and Jane Green: Bookshop / Amazon.* Photo courtesy of Tom Jeffs / Parrot of Doom, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. 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,

With the very welcome recent progress on electoral reform in Wales, I invited Jess Blair from the Electoral Reform Society Cymru to join me on Never Mind The Bar Charts. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes How electoral reform makes government better. The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Bill. STV explained (words). STV explained (animals). Public support for electoral reform. Join the Electoral Reform Society. Jess Blair on Twitter. Music 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.

Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat member of the London Assembly and someone who saw Boris Johnson up close during his eight years as Mayor, joined me for the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts. We discussed how Boris Johnson behaves as a politician, his strong desire to be liked, his long track record of wasting public money and more. I hope you enjoy the show. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes The Garden Bridge. The SS Richard Montgomery. The wasteful water cannons. The Deputy Mayors problem. City Hall moving. CrossRail2. That Susan Kramer song. Luisa Porritt. Me and graffiti. Caroline Pidgeon on Twitter. Music 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 joined again on Never Mind The Bar Charts by Rob Blackie to talk about the early lessons from the 2020 US Presidential elections for the Liberal Democrats. With Rob as a guest, no surprise that we talked a lot about messaging and political positioning. In particular, how do you win over people who have a different world view? Listen to find out... Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes What the Liberal Democrats can learn from Donald Trump - the earlier episode with Rob Blackie. 2020 US Presidential election results. The (non-) use of Latinx. Winning the struggle for same-sex marriage: how framing the argument using the world view of its opponents helped persuade many of them to change their mind. Graham Norton. Photo by Andrew Neel from Pexels. Music 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. Sha

Tom King, author of excellent pamphlet The Generous Society, was my guest for the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts. We talked about his new pamphlet, the importance of generosity to liberals and what Liberal Democrats can pick up from Joe Biden's electoral victory.  Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Read The Generous Society. John Stuart Mill's On Liberty. Jim Hacker wonders how best to do a political broadcast. Michael J Sandel's The Tyranny of Merit: What's Become of the Common Good? - Bookshop / Amazon.* Tom King on Twitter. Music 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 list includes affiliate links which generate a commission for each sale made.

I recently guested on Michael Bossetta's Social Media and Politics show, talking about... social media and politics. In particular, how the media coverage of election campaigns and their use of technology so often gets it wrong. Hope you enjoy the chat, and if you do, by all means grab the relevant chapter of my book, Bad News: what the headlines don't tell us, which is available for free here. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Bad News: what the headlines don't tell us. Free book chapter. Michael Bossetta. The excellent Social Media and Politics podcast. Music 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.

Why did the Liberal Party become so pro-European and how did that carry over into the Liberal Democrats? That was the topic when I welcomed back Duncan Brack to Never Mind The Bar Charts. We roamed over everything from the creation of the Anti-Corn Law League through to the future for pro-Europeanism in the Lib Dems. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Our Jo Grimond episode. The motion on Europe passed at the party's 2020 conference. Peace, Reform and Liberation: A History of Liberal Politics in Britain 1679-2011, compiled by Robert Ingham and Duncan Brack. Free Trade Nation: Commerce, Consumption, and Civil Society in Modern Britain by Frank Trentmann: Waterstones / Amazon. The Liberal Democrat History Group. It's special journal issue on Europe is available for free. Duncan Brack on Twitter. Music by Hugo Lee. Image by MichaelGaida from Pixabay. New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts. Enjoy th

What caused Brexit? Was it inevitable? Why do the right love fighting culture wars even though each culture war gets fought on more liberal territory? Those were just some of the questions covered in a wonderfully wide-ranging discussion with Rob Ford.  Not Rob Ford, the scandal-prone Mayor of Toronto, or Rob Ford, the man who killed Jesse James, or even Rob Ford, the Dundee FC footballer. But Rob Ford, Politics Professor at Manchester University and co-author of the new book, Brexitland: Identity, Diversity and the Reshaping of British Politics. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Brexitland: Identity, Diversity and the Reshaping of British Politics by Rob Ford and Maria Sobolewska: Waterstones / Amazon. Left Out: The Inside Story of Labour Under Corbyn by Gabriel Pogrund and Patrick Maguire: Waterstones / Amazon. The New Minority: White Working Class Politics in an Age of Immigration and Inequality by Justin Gest: Waterstones / Amazon.  W