Exciting news! This month I’m launching Political Fictions, a new podcast with Cory Hazlehurst, from the Not Enough Champagne podcast. It’s all about TV, film and books featuring politics.

Take a listen to our trailer to find out more.

You can subscribe to Political Fictions in all the usual places, including on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music.

You can also follow the podcast via our website, www.politicalfictionspodcast.com.

I will be carrying on with my previous podcast, Never Mind The Bar Charts, but at a lower tempo of episodes.

For the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts I talked with Paul Webb about the report "Britain's Party Members" which has new data on who joins political parties in Britain and what they get up to.

Are Lib Dems the keenest campaigners? Is the emerging two-bloc pattern of British politics reflected in party membership? We talk about these and many more such illuminating questions, revealing some of the basic bedrock on which British politics is built.

Our discussion also includes the report's analysis of political psychology, based on both the big five traits and the dark triad models - showing differences between parties, and we explore how member preferences shape leadership selection, tactical voting, and party strategy.

We start off though with where the data comes from and how much we can trust to it being right.

Show notes

• Britain's Party Members by Tim Bale, Paul Webb and Stavroula Chrona.
• The excellent book that came from the project's earlier work.
• The ESRC Party Members Project website.
• How Cambridge Analytica's impact was hyped.
• Robert McKenzie and the election night swingometer.
• Only 2% of council by-elections turning out to be Conservative-Labour contests.
• Professor Paul Webb's other work.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.

Two of the authors of a new book, The British General Election of 2024, joined me for the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts. Among the topics we discuss are whether Labour's post-election slump has made people too critical of their election campaign, whether the Conservatives could have saved themselves and lessons for the Lib Dems.

• The graph we discuss showing public opinion on tax and what people thought Labour and the Conservatives would do to tax.
• Myth busting Liz Truss and the lettuce.
• The British General Election of 2024 by Rob Ford, Tim Bale, Will Jennings and Paula Surridge: Amazon, Waterstones or UK Bookshop. 
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.

I've popped up on a movie podcast, War Movie Theatre with Rob Hutton and Duncan Weldon. Here is what they have to say about the show:

"A 1964 film about accidental nuclear war from a legendary director and featuring a German scientist with homicidal ideas? That's right, it's Dr Strangelove… hang on, no, it's Fail Safe. Overshadowed on release because of a lawsuit from a rival film (you can guess which), this parable from Sidney Lumet has come to be regarded as a classic, with fans including George Clooney.

"The Ocean's 11 star couldn't be with us to make the case for it himself, so we're joined by a man known to many as the Clooney of British politics, Mark Pack: polling expert, Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords and Total Nerd."

• War Movie Theatre podcast with Rob Hutton and Duncan Weldon: Apple, Spotify and YouTube.
• Never Mind the Bar Charts theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.

This episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts features podcast favourite Phil Cowley talking about his new book, The Smallest Room in the House. It is crammed full of fun yet useful insights from political science. Listen to us talk about Simon Cowell, fish and chip shops, riots, the rise of AI, potholes and more.

• All the fish and chip shops in the UK.
• Distribution of passport ownership.
• Causes and Consequences of Electoral Violence 1832-1914.
• Philip Cowley on Bluesky.
• Read a free chapter from the book.
• Get The Smallest Room in the House: 50 political oddities to read in more than one sitting from Waterstones, Amazon (including e-book version) and Bookshop.org (affiliate links).
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts sees a return to the show for Professor Rob Ford. We dive into my favourite political paradox to discuss with him: the long term liberalising trends in British politics and yet the run of wins for the Conservatives and populist right. Who is going to come out on top?

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• What caused Brexit? Previous podcast with Rob Ford.
• Sunder Katwala / British Future on 'balancers' on immigration.
• Depending on your definitions, this person was a century and more ahead of those we mentioned in the podcast in being someone from an ethnic minority who became both Chancellor and then Prime Minister.
• Glaciers.
• The British General Election of 2024 by Rob Ford, Tim Bale, Will Jennings and Paula Surridge is now available to pre-order: Amazon, Waterstones.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts sees me discuss with polling expert Steve Akehurst what has happened to Labour's July 2024 vote.

We dive into the characteristics of those who voted for Starmer but are now flirting with Farage, as well as ask whether those folk are really the whole story.

• Getting to know ‘Reform curious Labour voters’ by Steve Akehurst.
• What would make Labour defectors more positive about Labour?
• The problems with polling averages.
• Labour's problem is a Michael Barber not a Morgan McSweeney one.
• Pollsters split over what's happened to Labour's 2024 vote: I have now done the crosstabs analysis we talk about on the show.
• The County Durham by-election mentioned on the show.
• Steve Akehurst on Bluesky.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• Downing Street street name sign: photo by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay and used under the Pixabay license.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.

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The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts features an interview with Emeritus Professor Jonathan Parry, whose new book, Liberalism, explores the history of liberalism as a political idea in Britain. 

Parry emphasises that liberalism is best understood through the actions of politicians rather than the abstract theories of political intellectuals.

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• Liberalism by Jonathan Parry: Amazon, Bookshop.org or Waterstones.
• Professor Jonathan Parry.
• Previous podcast with Duncan Brack about Jo Grimond.
• Photo of Big Ben CC0 Public Domain.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
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The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts saw me team up with John Potter and the Lib Dem Pod team to discuss the local elections. How did they go for the Liberal Democrats and what lessons are there for the party?

• Some highlights from the local election results.
• Lib Dem Pod.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.

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John Potter of the Lib Dem Pod quizzed me about my first experiences of the House of Lords for our latest joint podcast.

• Lib Dem Pod.
• The Government Chief Whip's Ring Binder.
• Photograph © House of Lords 2024 / photography by Roger Harris.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts is another in the occasional series looking back at previous party leaders with Duncan Brack.

This time we pick over Jeremy Thorpe's career - securing Britain's place in Europe, leading the Liberal Party to national prominence and then mired in scandal. What to make of it all?

• Our previous episode about Jo Grimond - www.markpack.org.uk/161656/jo-grimond-podcast/
• Our interview of Jeremy Thorpe - www.markpack.org.uk/1486/jeremy-thorpe-interview/
• Jeremy Thorpe and Jimi Hendrix - www.mediastorehouse.co.uk/memory-lane-prints/mirror/0100to0199-00163/jeremy-thorpe-jimi-hendrix-concert-jimi-hendrix-21541729.html
• Other photos of Jeremy Thorpe looking stylish - www.gettyimages.co.uk/search/2/image?family=editorial&phrase=jeremy%20thorpe&sort=oldest&recency=daterange&begindate=1960-01-01&enddate=1980-01-01
• Peter Cook satirises the judge's summing up in the trial of Jeremy Thorpe - www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kyos-M48B8U
• Duncan Brack on Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/duncanbrack.bsky.social
• The Lib Dem History Group is at liberalhistory.org.uk
• Jeremy Thorpe by Michael Bloch is available from Amazon - amzn.to/41QQUf5 - Bookshop.org - uk.bookshop.org/a/588/9780349142203 - and Waterstones - tidd.ly/3DhN31o
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee: hugoleemusic.com
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts: www.markpack.org.uk/161708/how-to-listen-to-a-podcast
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes: www.markpack.org.uk/168491/most-popular-episodes-never-mind-the-bar-charts

Peter Kellner join sme to discuss a new report on what is going wrong with our politics, and the solutions. No surprise then that our conversation focused on populism, its causes and how liberals can defeat it.

• Disruptive Delivery: Meeting the Unmet Demand in Politics, with polling from Deltapoll.
• The Challenge of Affluence: Self-Control and Well-Being in the United States and Britain since 1950 by Avner Offer (affiliate link).
• An example from the 1990s of failing to predict the political future.
• How incumbent governments did badly in elections in 2024.
• The three humped graph from the report.
• Liberal Democrat achievements in government.
• Lib Dem policymaking on AI.
• Peter Kellner's polling newsletter.
• The Week in Polls.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.

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The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts saw Paula Surridge return to the show, talking about the impact of political values and of perceived competence on recent general elections. We got into some surprising similarities between Tony Blair and Nigel Farage, as well as ways in which Boris Johnson and Gordon Brown were the same.

Take a listen to find out how on earth we ended up there.

• "Values in the Valence Election: Fragmentation and the 2024 General Election" by Paula Surridge. Also in blog form here.
• Why we made a joke about cease and desist letters.
• The graph which we mentioned.
• Paula Surridge on Bluesky and Substack.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts takes a look at a book that has made me rethink several things I thought I knew about the history of the Liberal Democrats and Liberals before them.

It also contains some wonderfully acerbic photo captions and some not terribly kind words about David Lloyd George.

It is a book from another David - David Laws - and is a history of Labour - Liberal (Democrat) relations over the last century.

• Serpents, Goats and Turkeys - a century of Liberal-Labour relations: Amazon, Waterstones, Bookshop.org*
• Who Killed Kitchener? The Life and Death of Britain's Most Famous War Minister: Amazon, Waterstones, Bookshop.org*
• How Lib Dems love the 1920s despite the electoral disasters for the Liberal Party.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.

* Affiliate links that generate a commission for purchases made.

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The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts takes a look at recent research into the impact of electoral reform on the stability of governments.

Does PR mean less stable government? Listen to my discussion with the research's author Dylan Difford to find out.

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• Strong and Stable: the most politically stable democracies use PR.
• The wild ride of elections in the 1920s.
• Dylan Difford on Bluesky.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
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Election campaigns often put significant effort into persuading voters that their candidate(s) could win. But does such campaigning really change people's expectations of who might win? And even if it people's views do change, does being seen as a more likely winner really help you win the election?

Or in other words, are all those "winning here" posters and bar charts worth it?

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts welcomes back to the show Justin Fisher to discuss just that, courtesy of new research from himself and two colleagues.

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• "Innocent Bystanders or the Forgotten Actors? The Role of Parties and Candidates in Building Electoral Campaign Momentum" by Justin Fisher, Ed Fieldhouse and David Cutts.
• A Logic of Expressive Choice by Alexander A. Schuessler (affiliate link).
• 101 Ways To Win An Election.
• The accuracy of MRPs.
• Justin Fisher on Twitter/X.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• Photo of "Winning Here" poster courtesy of the Lib Dems (CC BY-ND 2.0).
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.

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The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts sees a return to the show for Sam Freedman. This time he’s got a new book out, about how our government is broken – and what to do to fix it.

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• Failed State: Why Nothing Works and How We Fix It by Sam Freedman: Amazon, Waterstones, UK Bookshop (affiliate links).
• Sam Freedman’s Prospect articles.
• The Mill.
• Sam Freedman’s newsletter.
• The myth of Budget poll bounces.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show’s most popular previous episodes.

• Share the show’s website, www.NeverMindTheBarCharts.com.

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts discusses a great new book about the geography of British elections with its two authors, Jamie Furlong and Will Jennings.

Why do the Conservatives underperform on Merseyside yet overperform in Lincolnshire, and how much of electoral geography is really about individual campaigners?

Take a listen to find out...

• Get The Changing Electoral Map of England and Wales by Jamie Furlong and Will Jennings: Amazon, Bookshop, Waterstones. (Affiliate links.)
• Get Putting Voters in Their Place: Geography and Elections in Great Britain by Ron Johnston and Charles Pattie: Amazon, Bookshop, Waterstones. (Affiliate links.)
• My two previous podcasts discussing Brexitland: with Rob Ford and with Maria Sobolewska.
• Jamie Furlong and Will Jennings on X/Twitter.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.

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The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts takes a look back to the five criteria for success that Professor Tim Bale set out for opposition leaders and considers how they played out by the end of the 2024 general election.

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• Our original discussion of five tests for opposition parties.
• Our December 2020, March 2022 and December 2022 updates.
• Some of those Ed Davey stunts.
• My puzzlement over the lack of concern from Conservatives about losing support in Surrey and London.
• The size of Lib Dem majorities.
• Ed Davey's campaign ratings.
• Survey of Conservative membership on the next party leader.
• Tim Bale on X/Twitter.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.

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The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts is another special with John Potter and the Lib Dem Pod, looking at all the latest from the election campaign.

• The More in Common polling I mention.
• Lib Dem Pod.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.
• For material which promotes the party’s candidates or future candidates, the imprint information is that it is promoted by Mike Dixon on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both 1 Vincent Square, London, SW1P 2PN.

• Share the show's website, www.NeverMindTheBarCharts.com.

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts is another special with John Potter and the Lib Dem Pod, looking at all the latest from the election campaign with Lib Dem peer Liz Barker and Lib Dem candidate David Chadwick.

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• The Lib Dem manifesto.
• The election timetable.
• David Chadwick's campaign.
• How we decide where to ask people to campaign.
• Lib Dem Pod.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.
• For material which promotes the party’s candidates or future candidates, the imprint information is that it is promoted by Mike Dixon on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both 1 Vincent Square, London, SW1P 2PN.

• Share the show's website, www.NeverMindTheBarCharts.com.

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts is another team-up with the Lib Dem podcast, taking a look at the general election, mulling over Nigel Farage's entrance and hearing about how a Dalek got canvassed.

Appearing on the show is Victoria Collins. The constituency she is standing in includes the village of Aldbury, often used in TV and films, including for Doctor Who and The Avengers.

• Victoria Collins.
• Aldbury.
• The time Daleks nearly advertised Hamlet Cigars.
• Lib Dem Pod.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.
• For material which promotes the party’s candidates or future candidates, the imprint information is that it is promoted by Mike Dixon on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, both 1 Vincent Square, London, SW1P 2PN. For content related specifically to a candidate, it is published and promoted by S. Oliver on behalf of V. Collins.

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The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts saw a return for the Professor of Political Leafleting, the Lady of the Leaflets, Professor Caitlin Milazzo. She's one of the top experts on what election candidates put in their leaflets and why. So just the person to talk with as even more leaflets are headed to people's letterboxes for the general election.

• The Open Elections website.
• How are political leaflets changing (and do they work)? - previous podcast with Caitlin Milazzo.
• Negative campaigning in political leaflets: what the evidence says - previous podcast with Caitlin Milazzo.
• Perceived Negativity in British General Election Communications by Caitlin Milazzo and John Ryan.
• Personal, policy and partisanship: Understanding voter reactions to campaign negativity by Alan Duggan, Caitlin Milazzo, Harry Applestein and John Ryan.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.

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The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts is another team-up with John Potter and the Lib Dem Pod team. This time we were joined by Bill Revans, leader of the largest elected Lib Dem group in the country, to talk about the start of the general election.

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• Lib Dem Pod.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
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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.

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• 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.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
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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.

• 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.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
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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.

• The Spybrary Podcast.
• The Spybrary Facebook group.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• Photo by Cottonbro Studio on Pexels.com.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show’s most popular previous episodes.
• Links to books above are affiliate links.

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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.

• The by-election results.
• The Lib Dem pre-manifesto.
• The Lib Dem Pod team on YouTube.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show’s most popular previous episodes.

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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.

• The Bentley Ramp.
• Rachel Bentley on X/Twitter.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
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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.

• 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.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.

* Affiliate links which generate a commission for sales.

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.

• 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.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
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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...

• The Lib Dem Pod
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
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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.

• The sunniest town in the UK.
• The kayak tipping incident.
• Follow Josh Babarinde on X/Twitter or Instagram.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.

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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.

• 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.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.

* This list includes affiliate links which generate a commission for each sale made.

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It took decades of campaigning for Prohibition campaigners to win in the US, getting alcohol banned in the early twentieth century. Once they'd won, their victory seemed set to last. Yet in less than a decade and a half their victory had been undone and the the idea killed off politically. So can pro-Europeans take heart from drawing parallels between Prohibition and Brexit?

Find out in the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts as I discuss this with Professor Ben Ansell who has just written a great piece comparing Prohibition and Brexit.

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• Ben Ansell's piece, Brexit's 21st Amendment: Can the Rejoin campaign learn anything from the End of Prohibition?
• Abraham Lincoln on the political value of honey.
• Plastic bags chaos looms ... Supermarkets are braced for chaos and confusion (the Daily Mail, of course).
• Polling on Europe.
• Why Politics Fails by Ben Ansell: Amazon / Waterstones / Bookshop.org *
• Ben Ansell on Twitter and Threads.
• Photo by Chris F on Pexels.com.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.

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* Affiliate links.

So wrote John Curtice after the latest record-breaking Parliamentary by-election by the Liberal Democrats. Who better therefore to discuss how happy Liberal Democrats should be after Sarah Dyke's victory than Frome-born political scientist and podcast favourite, Professor Tim Bale?

Hear what Tim and I made of all three of the recent Parliamentary by-elections in the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts.

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• There were quite a few Lib Dem leaflets in Somerton and Frome.
• The Lib Dem alternative on ULEZ.
• The predictive power of Parliamentary by-elections.
• The Liberal Democrat Yellow Halo of support.
• What issues most concern voters?
• Tim Bale on Twitter.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show’s most popular previous episodes.

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Florian Foos has worked with eight different political parties in five different countries carrying out field experiments to test what does and doesn't work in election campaigning. So I invited him on Never Mind The Bar Charts to talk about what both his research and that of others reveals.

• How Much GOTV Mail is Too Much? Results from a Large-Scale Field Experiment by Adam Zelitzer and Donald P. Green
• Get Out the Vote: How to Increase Voter Turnout: How to Increase Voter Turnout by Donald P. Green and Alan S. Gerber: Amazon / Bookshop.org / Waterstones*
• How same-sex marriage campaigners won people over by finding common values.
• Abraham Lincoln's advice on winning campaigns by befriending rather than demonising people.
• Reasons to be sceptical of the impact of deep canvassing.
• Florian Foos on Twitter.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• Image by Nathan Copley from Pixabay.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.

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* Affiliate links

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts features Sam Freedman, talking about his recent excellent article on why apparently obvious policy ideas keep on being talked about, but not getting implemented. What's going on?

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• The Policy Paradox: The more obvious an idea is the less likely it will happen.
• David Gauke's proposal for an Office for Spending Evaluation.
• Lynne Featherstone on the Institute for Government's induction sessions for new ministers.
• The Shelter report on housing mentioned in the show.
• How Keith House and colleagues get houses built in Eastleigh.
• Sam Freedman's email newsletter.
• Sam Freedman on Twitter.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
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The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts saw a return to the show for Professor Caitlin Milazzo, one of the county's top experts on political leaflets - what goes into them why and with what effect.

This time we discussed her new research into negative campaigning in leaflets.

• “Going on the offensive: Negative messaging in British general elections” by Alan Duggan and Caitlin Milazzo.
• The Open Elections website.
• How are political leaflets changing (and do they work)? Caitlin Milazzo’s previous appearance.
• Caitlin Milazzo on Twitter.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show’s most popular previous episodes.

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The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts is another tie-up with The Lib Dem Podcast, following the stunning Lib Dem gains in the local elections.

I joined councillors John Potter and Richard Kemp, along with new Lib Dem council leader Martin Boffey, to chew over the results. Unfortunately, Lisa Smart was not able to make the show, but she was safely re-elected this month too.

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• Watch the podcast on YouTube.
• The Lib Dem Podcast on Twitter.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
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I really enjoyed reading Professor Tim Bale's new book, The Conservative Party After Brexit.

So who better to have on the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts to discuss the point of such books, how such an apparently ramshackle party keeps on winning elections, the power of party conference speeches and what Rishi Sunak's politics really are than the man himself? Tim that is, rather than the PM.

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• The Conservative Party After Brexit: Turmoil and Transformation by Tim Bale - Bookshop (independent bookshops) / Amazon / Waterstones.* I was kindly provided with an advance copy by the publishers.
• Tim Bale on Twitter.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
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* This list includes affiliate links which generate a commission for each sale made.

Find out the answer to that... and speculate on what Tim Harford and Matt Forde would be like as MPs with the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts.

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• Public Preferences for Integrity and Accountability in Politics: the research report we discuss.
• Ipsos trust data.
• Alan Renwick on Twitter.
• Image by David Mark from Pixabay.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
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For the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts, I'm speaking with Cllr Keith House, leader of Eastleigh Council. The local team has an impressive record of building houses on green fields and (yet also) getting re-elected. How have they managed this combo, and what can other Liberal Democrats learn from it?

Take a listen to find out...

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• Howards' Way.
• How the first Liberal was elected to Eastleigh Council – and how politics didn’t have a golden age
• Cllr Keith House on Twitter.
• Image by Peter H from Pixabay.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
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Many attempts at reforming the House of Lords have been made. Many attempts have failed.

So what can would-be reformers learn from the failures of their predecessors to achieve more?

Professor Meg Russell, director of the Constitution Unit at UCL, joined me to share her expertise on this in the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts. Listeners may wish to enjoy her correcting me on voting systems.

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• Meg Russell on the podcast previously, talking about reforming the House of Commons.
• The Changing Role of the House of Lords: the Constitution Unit's research on the House of Lords.
• The House of Lords Appointments Commission.
• The Parliamentary Battle over Brexit by Meg Russell and Lisa James: Bookshop (independent bookshops) / Amazon / Waterstones.*
• The Constitution Unit on Twitter.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• Photo courtesy of UK Parliament (used under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 2.0).
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
• Check out some of this show's most popular previous episodes.

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* This list includes affiliate links which generate a commission for each sale made.

It was a warm welcome back to Professor Tim Bale for the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts. We revisited the five tests for opposition parties we've discussed before. How have Labour and the Lib Dems been performing against them?

Take a listen to find out...

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• Our original discussion of five tests for opposition parties.
• Our December 2020 and March 2022 updates.
• Jon Mellon's research into how well people know the result last time in their own constituency.
• The YouGov 0-10 voting propensity tracker.
• Pre-order Tim Bale's new book, The Conservative Party After Brexit: Turmoil and Transformation: Amazon.*
• Tim Bale on Twitter.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.

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* This is an affiliate link which generate a commission for each sale made.

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.

• 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.

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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.

• 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.

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* 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.

• 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.

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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.

• 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.

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* Includes affiliate links which generate a commission for each sale made.

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.

• 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.

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* 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.

• 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 listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.

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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.

• 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.
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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.

• 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.

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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.

• 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.

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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.

• 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.

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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.

• 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.

• Follow the show on Twitter.
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• 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.

• 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.

• Follow the show on Twitter.
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* This list includes affiliate links which generate a commission for each sale made.

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.

• 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.

• Follow the show on Twitter.
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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.

• 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) / Waterstones / Amazon.*
• The British General Election of 2019 by Rob Ford, Tim Bale, Will Jennings and Paula Surridge: Bookshop.org (independent bookshop) /  Amazon / Waterstones.*
• Professor Rob Ford on Twitter.
• Cake photo by jgojtan from Pixabay.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.

• Follow the show on Twitter.
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* This list includes affiliate links which generate a commission for each sale made.

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.

• Our plan for 2022 - my January report to party members.
• The Lib Dem Pod podcast.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
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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.

• 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.

• Follow the show on Twitter.
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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.

• 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.
• Brexitland: Identity, Diversity and the Reshaping of British Politics by Maria Sobolewska and Rob Ford: Waterstones / Amazon / Bookshop (independent bookshops).*
• Paula Surridge on Twitter.
• Photo by Pippa Fowles / No 10 Downing Street (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.

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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.

• 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.

• Follow the show on Twitter.
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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.

• 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 podcasts.

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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?

• 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.

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* This list includes affiliate links which generate a commission for each sale made.

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.

• 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 Brack and Iain Dale: Bookshop (independent bookshops) / Amazon / Waterstones.*
• Prime Minister Corbyn: And Other Things That Never Happened edited by Duncan Brack and Iain Dale: Bookshop (independent bookshops) / Amazon / Waterstones.*
• The Prime Ministers We Never Had: Success and Failure from Butler to Corbyn by Steve Richards: Bookshop (independent bookshops) / Amazon / Waterstones.*
• The Prime Ministers Who Never Were: A collection of counterfactuals edited by Francis Beckett: Amazon / Waterstones.*
• Duncan Brack on Twitter.
• Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.

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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.

• 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.

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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.

• 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.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.

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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.

• 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 / Waterstones.*
• How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie: Bookshop (independent bookshops) / Amazon / 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.

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* This list includes affiliate links which generate a commission for each sale made.

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.

• 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.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.

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* This list includes affiliate links which generate a commission for each sale made.

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.

• 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.
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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.

• 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: Mark Shephard and Justin Fisher.
• Evidence from Rosie Campbell, Phil Cowley, Nick Vivyan and Markus Wagner on how voters prefer local candidates.
• Follow Caitlin Milazzo on Twitter.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
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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.

• 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.

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* This list includes affiliate links which generate a commission for each sale made.

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.

• 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.

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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.

• 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.
• Theme tune by Hugo Lee.
• New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.

• Follow the show on Twitter.
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* This list includes affiliate links which generate a commission for each sale made.

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.

• 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.

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