August 26, 2014
Scotland can start voting from today
The first postal votes for the Scottish referendum have been sent out. During the next few days over 700,000 will be sent in total: a number that represents almost a…
August 25, 2014
Lincolnshire & Humberside: a Lib Dem-free zone
For the next stage of my tour of the electoral map, I’ve split the giant Yorkshire and Humber region in two more manageable chunks. And before we go any further,…
August 24, 2014
Latest by-election results: a solitary Tory gain
Just one local by-election this week. The Tories took a seat from the Liberal Democrats on Broadland council in Norfolk. Fran Whymark won by a gap of 14 votes. There…
August 23, 2014
The West Midlands stays at home
As expected, Labour won Thursday’s by-election for the post of West Midlands police and crime commissioner. And as expected, the turnout was pathetic. Just 10.22% of those eligible to vote…
August 22, 2014
The outcome of most general elections would not have been different without Scotland
Four weeks today, we’ll know whether Scotland has decided to become an independent country or stay within the United Kingdom. If the union remains intact, the loudest sigh of relief…
August 21, 2014
The West Midlands goes to the polls
We’re about to witness the largest single by-election ever held in the UK. A total of 1,974,518 people are eligible to go the polls today. Precisely how many of them bothers…
August 20, 2014
Labour is doing well where it ought to do well – but that might not be enough
Labour will take heart from Lord Ashcroft’s latest survey of marginal seats. This time he’s sampled opinion in what he calls the “wider battleground” – constituencies not right at the…
August 19, 2014
Those Liberal Democrat ‘targets’ in full
Come with me into a parallel universe, where most of the events of the past four-and-half years have not happened, a general election is approaching, and the Liberal Democrats are…
August 18, 2014
Wales: slim pickings for all parties
The current distribution of seats in Wales masks a mixed picture for all the main parties, including Labour. Despite its numeral dominance, Labour is far from the force it was…
August 17, 2014
Mid-month poll update: a summer of discontent for Ukip and the Lib Dems
The slight swing back towards the two mainstream parties I noticed at the start of August is persisting. The trends suggest both Labour and the Tories are currently getting a…
UK elections 2015 