Archive for October, 2018

Looking ahead to the budget. Is it still the economy, stupid? Polling Matters

Posted in Polling Matters on October 24th, 2018 by Leo – Comments Off on Looking ahead to the budget. Is it still the economy, stupid? Polling Matters

On this week’s Polling Matters podcast, Keiran Pedley and I discuss the political lay of the land as we approach the budget, what the public think about the economy and our political leaders ability to handle it and how important the economy is in voting intention terms in a Brexit-dominated 2018.

 

Will May reach a Brexit deal and can she get it through parliament? Polling Matters

Posted in Politics, Polling Matters on October 20th, 2018 by Leo – Comments Off on Will May reach a Brexit deal and can she get it through parliament? Polling Matters

This week’s PB / Polling Matters podcast is split into two parts:

In part one, Keiran Pedley is joined by Peter McLeod (Vice President at pollster GQR) to explore what the public think of “Chequers” and what they expect from any Brexit deal May brings back. It turns out that Chequers is more popular than you might think in the right context – but is that the context the Prime Minister’s eventual deal will ultimately be seen in? Keiran and Peter discuss.

In part two, I joined Keiran to discuss how May gets a deal through parliament, if indeed she reaches one. Keiran explains why he is much less positive than he once was and I talked about why pollsters will have a big role to play in how some MPs vote.

 

Climate apathy, not denial, is the biggest threat to our planet

Posted in Climate Majority, Climate Sock on October 5th, 2018 by Leo – Comments Off on Climate apathy, not denial, is the biggest threat to our planet

This article was published in the Guardian – intro below and you can read the full text here.

Three years after world leaders signed the Paris climate agreement, we’re about to better understand what that deal means for how we live our lives. On Monday, a major report from the UN’s climate science panel will set out what it will take to limit global warming to 1.5C, the key Paris target.

There are reasons to think the world is, finally, getting to grips with climate change. Carbon emissions are still rising but more slowly than before, and in many countries they’re falling. The UK has slashed its emissions to 19th-century levels, and we’re not alone – plenty of other countries, including the US, are making progress as well. Crucially, that’s happened without many people noticing, suggesting the world might be able to deal with the problem without having to persuade the public to change their polluting lifestyles.

But this is wishful thinking. Continue reading…