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Voting from behind bars – more changes on the way?
For many UK politicians, the question of votes for prisoners is politically toxic. David Cameron said the prospect made him feel physically ill and when the issue has come up in Parliament it’s been a rare person who has ventured an opinion in favour. But the tide could be moving in favour of the franchise…
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Remain Alliance – can it halt Brexit and beat Boris Johnson?
Paula Keaveney, Edge Hill University This week’s by-election in Brecon and Radnorshire will be the first formal test of the so-called Remain Alliance. The unusually short list of candidates in this contest is partly because parties such as the Green Party and Plaid Cymru, have stood down in favour of the Liberal Democrats. Campaign visits…
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Post Brexit Conversations
Professor John Diamond (Director of the University’s I4P) comments on the recent appointment of Labour candidate Andy Burnham: Andy Burnham, Labour candidate for mayor of Greater Manchester, tells us something significant is happening. Most of the focus will be on the internal conflicts within the Labour Party, and they are important for many reasons. But…
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A political football
The campaigns on both sides of the referendum debate – Britain Stronger in Europe and Vote Leave – hoped that football would help them win the tournament. The beautiful game may not be as significant as the UK economy, but in a tight contest, campaigners knew they needed every tactical advantage, and anything that could…
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Playing the expectation game
May 5th sees elections across the country. And of course there will be election results. But for those working in political communication, a result is not simply a number. It is a chance to get messages across, of success, of progress, of popularity. It’s also, for some, a chance to communicate about the strengths or…
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Everything you need to know about the mayoral election
On May 5 when the UK next heads to the polls for local and regional elections, voters in London, Salford, Liverpool and Bristol will have an extra choice to make – who they want to become their next directly elected mayor. Directly elected mayors have a great deal of power – unlike their purely ceremonial…
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Who is leading the EU campaign battle so far?
Mid April saw the official start of the campaign to either persuade us to Remain or to Leave when we vote in the European Referendum in June. The Electoral Commission has designated two organisations as official campaigners. On the In side is Britain Stronger in Europe. On the Out side is Vote Leave. In the…
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EU Referendum Campaign – Should we stay or should we go?
If there’s one book you’ll find on most politicians’ bookshelves it’s Drew Westen’s The Political Brain. This 2007 work said that facts and logical arguments are not enough in political communication. Even those who are hyper-logical make emotion-based decisions. And if politicians or campaigns speak to feelings, they are more likely to succeed. Think back…
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What do we learn from the Comprehensive Spending Review?
There are three lessons from the Comprehensive Spending Review. First, don’t believe the spin before the statement; Two, don’t believe the spin after the statement; And three, look at the trends in spending and their impact. Whilst the headlines are saying it wasn’t all bad and the cuts weren’t in the order of 30 per…
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The results are in: What do they mean?
As the results come in across the UK there are a number of headlines from the collapse of the Liberal Democrats to the rise of the SNP to the growth in votes for UKIP but with little electoral success. As with every election night the stories and speculation focuses on the individuals. So there is…
