If you intend to retire within the next year, then the best course of action may simply be not to, warns John Read. Chancellor George Osborne made a bold claim in last week’s Budget. “Last year I unlocked pensions with freedom for millions of savers,” he said. Yet the reality is very different. That so-called […]
Locked up in Limbo
Indefinite detention of asylum seekers and refugees in the ‘abusive’ Immigration Removal Centres such as Yarl’s Wood is a scandal and a stain on the UK’s reputation, argues Dr Claire Fox. The UK’s treatment of asylum seekers and refugees came under severe, critical, scrutiny last week. A report was published by two All Party Parliamentary […]
Engaging with the electorate
Politicians seeking election this May need to communicate effectively with potential voters. Rosalynd Southern and Kingsley Purdam explain that – judging by the last General Election – many of them could do better. Good communication skills and an ability to connect with the electorate are key attributes for MPs. But in the UK MPs undertake […]
Can the Northern Powerhouse ignore the digital economy?
The Government’s proposed Northern Powerhouse is all well and good, but, asks Anita Greenhill, where does the digital economy fit in this? The concept of a Northern Powerhouse and establishing an alternative to the dominant ‘London Powerhouse’ has strong Government support. It also has cross-party backing, with both the Conservative and Labour parties proposing their […]
Polling Observatory #43: Stability returns with race close to dead heat
This is the forty-third in a series of posts that report on the state of the parties as measured by opinion polls. By pooling together all the available polling evidence we can reduce the impact of the random variation each individual survey inevitably produces. Most of the short term advances and setbacks in party polling […]
Polling Observatory 42: Sharp drop in Labour support adds confusion to chaos
This is the forty-second in a series of posts by Dr Robert Ford, Dr Will Jennings, Dr Mark Pickup and Prof Christopher Wlezien that report on the state of the parties in the UK as measured by opinion polls. By pooling together all the available polling evidence, the impact of the random variation that each individual survey inevitably produces can be […]
The Polling Observatory Forecast 5: Conservatives fading away?
As explained in the inaugural election forecast, up until May next year the Polling Observatory team will be producing a long term forecast for the 2015 General Election, using methods first applied ahead of the 2010 election (and which are also well-established in the United States). The authors’ method involves trying to make the best use of […]
The Polling Observatory Forecast 4: Conservative hopes recede slowly
As explained in the inaugural election forecast, up until May next year the Polling Observatory team will be producing a long term forecast for the 2015 General Election, using methods first applied ahead of the 2010 election (and which are also well-established in the United States). The authors’ method involves trying to make the best use of […]
Polling Observatory 40: Treading water as Scotland’s big moment approaches
This is the fortieth in a series of posts by Dr Robert Ford, Dr Will Jennings, Dr Mark Pickup and Prof Christopher Wlezien that report on the state of the parties in the UK as measured by opinion polls. By pooling together all the available polling evidence, the impact of the random variation that each individual survey inevitably produces can […]
Polling Observatory 39: Big two recover as UKIP fall back
This is the thirty-nineth in a series of posts by Dr Robert Ford, Dr Will Jennings, Dr Mark Pickup and Prof Christopher Wlezien that report on the state of the parties in the UK as measured by opinion polls. By pooling together all the available polling evidence, the impact of the random variation that each individual survey inevitably produces can […]