This is my main beef with guys like McSweeney.
Literally any of us can read what polls say, or listen to a focus group.
The "special skill" appears to be doing so without any consideration of the non-electoral consequences.
Literally any of us can read what polls say, or listen to a focus group.
The "special skill" appears to be doing so without any consideration of the non-electoral consequences.
Reposted from
Techpriest
Haa anyone coined the term "Polling Brain™" yet?
I'm going to claim defining Polling Brain: the tendency of political operatives working in an environment saturated by polling data to start governing by poll numbers without interrogating reality
I'm going to claim defining Polling Brain: the tendency of political operatives working in an environment saturated by polling data to start governing by poll numbers without interrogating reality
Comments
Ironically, the current leadership's aim is to hold onto the Red Wall by employing Blue Labour (Reform-lite) ideology.
Very little is EU-focused.
Labour data scientists - with AI tools - will be working overtime on different policy mixes and scenarios to maximise votes and minimise losses.
It's a failure to listen, learn & understand; you could equally call it "Brexit brain©️" which has the same effect
Maybe it's the same mindset in the political consulting world, and eventually they get found out for not knowing how it works.
I know that sounds trite but I have been saying it from the first time I saw an Excel spreadsheet!
You’re right, he’s a totally inappropriate person to serve as chief of staff and it shows.
You’re a genius until you’re not.
* Democracy ends, but things get MUCH better 😑
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/feb/09/get-in-by-patrick-maguire-and-gabriel-pogrund-review-inside-story-of-labour-under-keir-starmer-morgan-mcsweeney
in fact if anything I think they *do* recognise that 34% is low, and that's driven the electoral paranoia ever since
He’s been preposterously timid and is missing his fucking window.
New Lab did tie itself in knots by committing to Majors governments fiscal rules for at least the first 2 years of the terms (which led to the situation of whipping Lab MPs to vote for cuts the Tories knew would never happen)
There was a *vision* despite committing to two years of pseudo-austerity. Devolution, the minimum wage, etc etc!
McSweeney et al did an incredible job in opposition right up to the point a few months out from election where they started boxing themselves in on tax.
Been pretty down hill from there....