This may be an unpopular opinion but it seems to me that UK political commentators and Westminster more generally are far too obsessed with focus groups and polling.
No offence, both are useful if put into context and used as an additional source of information.
But they can also fuel short-termism.
No offence, both are useful if put into context and used as an additional source of information.
But they can also fuel short-termism.
Comments
I don't take much notice of polls outside the election cycle.
The way they all got a hard-on about the recent polls when out in the real world, not one soul cares, sums it up.
They need talking points. They need a scandal.
We don't.
Course, Thick of It ended because it was starting to stop being a satire and just a documentary. . .
They're about as representative as a FPTP voting system & likewise undermine actual democratic involvement & political confidence
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066302/
The idea that the populous has time to get detailed knowledge of a particular issue and how it interacts with other parts of the system is absurd.
More interaction with wider Academia & policy might give better governance than latest Mail poll
...an opinion poll.
Sometimes they even add "BREAKING".
Usual rules apply, who paid for the opinion, have they shared the raw data.
eg: "Should there be more or less immigration" Vs "what is the best balance of immigration vs skills shortages, wage inflation, economic prosperity " etc.
A poll of opinion is then a measure of how far we have to travel, not a shackle to prevent us moving on.
That would barely be a way to run an Instagram account, let alone develop a basis for policy for a large nation
As an FCA I know well that history never predicts, might influence & no-one knows what’s happening the next day, let alone year.