Never Mind The Bar Charts

How did the May 2024 elections go for the Lib Dems?

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts is another joint venture with The Lib Dem Pod, taking a look at the 2024 local elections.
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Show notes
The Week in Polls.
The Lib Dem Pod.
Tribute to Andrew Stunell.
Local election results in Preston.
The 2024 local election results.
Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
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Can Rishi Sunak save himself by doing a Jeremy Corbyn?

Never Mind The Bar Charts took an unexpected turn when I was discussing the track record of polls closing in previous Parliaments with Professor Will Jennings. One of the most dramatic such examples was with Jeremy Corbyn in 2017... so perhaps he should be the role model for Rishi Sunak as he looks to rescue the Conservatives?
Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.
Show notes
Have the polls closed in previous Parliaments?
What are MRPs and can we trust them?
Voting intention by supermarket.
Sign up to the newsletter from Will Jennings.
Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
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My five favourite espionage novels

Something completely different to the usual fare this time: a little while back I picked my five favourite spy novels for the Spybrary podcast. For a variation from the usual Never Mind The Podcasts fare, take a listen to what I picked, and why those in politics so often like spy stories:
Anthony Price features, of course. As does (ssssh! former spy) Paddy Ashdown and US President Lyndon B Johnson, subject of perhaps the best non-fiction book and one with a brilliant narrator too.
In coincidental related news, I discovered recently that the author of the standard book on the history of the early years of campaigning for proportional representation was a Communist, and possibly a Russian spy. The author is Jennifer Hart and the book is Proportional Representation: Critics of the British Electoral System 1820-1945.
Show notes
The Spybrary Podcast.
The Spybrary Facebook group.
Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
Photo by Cottonbro Studio on Pexels.com.
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Links to books above are affiliate links.
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Two more Conservative by-election defeats: what does it all mean?

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts is another by-election special with the Lib Dem Pod team, talking about what to make of the latest set of Parliamentary by-elections.
Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.
Show notes
The by-election results.
The Lib Dem pre-manifesto.
The Lib Dem Pod team on YouTube.
Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
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How to improve people's lives: Rachel Bentley on being a councillor

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts features Southwark councillor Rachel Bentley on what it's like being a councillor, the difference you can make to improve people's lives, the disappointments of Sadiq Khan, life campaigning against Labour and, of course, her love of pointing.
Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.
Show notes
The Bentley Ramp.
Rachel Bentley on X/Twitter.
Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
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Will it be the TikTok general election … or the Zoom general election?

Professor Kate Dommett is one of the UK’s absolute top rank experts on political campaigning, data and the internet. So who better to have back on Never Mind The Bar Charts to talk about how parties use data and what the next general election might bring?
Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.
Show notes
Data-Driven Campaigning and Political Parties: Five Advanced Democracies Compared by Katharine Dommett, Glenn Kefford and Simon Kruschinski: available from Amazon, Waterstones and independent bookshops.*
My previous scepticism about the impact of Cambridge Analytica.
Using a Personality-Profiling Algorithm to Investigate Political Microtargeting: Assessing the Persuasion Effects of Personality-Tailored Ads on Social Media: an academic study showing how targeting people by personality type could work.
The small effects of political advertising are small regardless of context, message, sender, or receiver: Evidence from 59 real-time randomized experiments: the limited impact of online advertising.
Podcast with Florian Foos on the effects of different campaign tactics.
Eitan Hersh on what data US campaigners really use.
Ground Wars – Personalized Communications in Political Campaigns by Rasmus Kleis Nielsen: or what canvassers really do when they are on the doorstep.
Ground Wars – Personalized Communications in Political Campaigns by Rasmus Kleis Nielsen
Kate Dommett's previous appearance on this podcast: What really happens at the grassroots when political parties push new ways of campaigning?
One of my early experiments with using Zoom for politics and how Pokémon GO was used by some Lib Dems.
Kate Dommett and John Curtice talks for the Political Studies Association.
Kate Dommett on X/Twitter.
Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
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* Affiliate links which generate a commission for sales.

The story of Charles Kennedy’s leadership, and lessons to learn from it

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts welcomed back Duncan Brack for another of our reviews of previous party leaders. This time, it’s Charles Kennedy we took a look at.
Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.
Show notes
Greg Hurst’s biography of Charles Kennedy.
Charles Kennedy on Have I Got News For You.
The 1983 TV report on his first election (second video on the page).
My earlier take on lessons from Charles Kennedy’s leadership.
Nick Clegg’s tribute to Charles Kennedy following his death.
The Lib Dem History Group.
Duncan Brack on Twitter.
Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
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A year of Rishi Sunak and lessons from the Mid Bedfordshire by-election

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts is another special with the Lib Dem Pod team. We talked about a year of Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister and lessons from the Mid Bedfordshire by-election. Listen carefully also to spot a little Easter Egg from me...
Show notes
The Lib Dem Pod
Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
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Meet the inspirational star who wants to be an MP

I've been honoured to have many great guests on Never Mind The Bar Charts but wow... this time's guest really blew me away with his moving life story and with the thought of just how exciting it would be to see him on the national political stage.
Come take a listen and meet Josh Babarinde from Eastbourne.
Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.
Show notes
The sunniest town in the UK.
The kayak tipping incident.
Follow Josh Babarinde on X/Twitter or Instagram.
Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
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Values or the economy - what’s driving our politics? Podcast with Paula Surridge

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts features Paula Surridge once again, who since last time has been promoted to Professor - congratulations!
We talk about what's driving British politics, whether the Conservatives can win next time - and what lessons she sees in the data for the Liberal Democrats.
Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.
Show notes
Some of Paula's previous appearances: on the role of values, the Lib Dem win in Tiverton & Honiton and how Boris Johnson won the 2019 general election.
How the polls can be wrong - but why you should still pay attention to them.
The British Social Attitudes Survey.
The moderate pitch of Mrs Thatcher in 1979.
Jonn Elledge on how Labour winning power would change the terms of British politics.
What that reference to seven bins was about.
The long-term liberalisation of Britain.
The British General Election of 2019 by Rob Ford, Tim Bale, Will Jennings and Paula Surridge: Amazon / Waterstones / Bookshop.org.*
Paula Surridge on Twitter/X.
Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
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