Opinion polls are inaccurate, distort political debate and should be banned during the final weeks of an election campaign. That’s the view of the strategist who led the British Conservative Party’s operations in 2024 and 2019. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/ban-... - ThreadSky

politico.eu • 167 days ago

Opinion polls are inaccurate, distort political debate and should be banned during the final weeks of an election campaign.

That’s the view of the strategist who led the British Conservative Party’s operations in 2024 and 2019.

🔗 https://www.politico.eu/article/ban-polls-uk-election-strategists-slam-inaccurate-voter-surveys-morgan-mcsweeney-keir-starmer-isaac-levido/

Comments

owendirkshift.bsky.social•167 days ago

Says the man who was instrumental in losing the Tories the last election.

Sour grapes? I should cocoa!

jacquij.bsky.social•167 days ago

Agreed. It certainly distorted behaviours by the better together lot in the Scottish Independence ref. Remember the Vow and the Imperial Commenders coming up to Glasgow. Yep ban polls weeks before elections. But they won’t, will they

llannerch.bsky.social•154 days ago

Polling on a binary national referendum like indyref is not the same as polling during elections where there's more choice with local and national dimensions intersecting to influence voting intentions

jacquij.bsky.social•153 days ago

I agree but it’s not an option & I suspect won’t be. Scotland needs to find a way for self determination & if another electoral event is the only means- that will have to do. Scotland can’t be the only country of 160+ not allowed to be some independent of UK.

silveratractic.bsky.social•167 days ago

Anything that causes voter apathy should be limited, as much as possible. Democracy is better when everyone participates

alonzoswhitebeard.bsky.social•167 days ago

Polling data is essential for informed tactical voting in jurisdictions with ludicrous FPTP systems.

tjmarsden.bsky.social•167 days ago

I mean it's possible, but I hear about situations in Italy where poll publishing in the last stages of the election is banned, but publishing 'horse racing odds' or 'prices of different fruits in Switzerland' or whatever isn't...

gianlucastrano.bsky.social•167 days ago

In Italy, poll publishing is forbidden in the 15 days prior the Election Day (law n. 28/2000) and, of course, someone bypass it.
But normal citizens have no easy access to “racing odds”.
So, it’s definitely possible

pierspage.bsky.social•167 days ago

The hottest of takes from the same side of the fence as “Fact Checker HQ”. The idea that the population should be purposely starved of information to avoid making candidates sad says it all about the absence of “service” in their political lexicon.

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