If only Theresa May had set out a clearer narrative, tumultuous weeks like this last one might have been avoidable.
The Key Battlegrounds on 8th June
Despite the best efforts of the Party leaders, there’s not just one single issue at stake nor likely to be a single uniform swing that will work in the same way across the whole country. As the campaigns come to a close, here's a look at the key battlegrounds that could determine the outcome on 8th June.
Polling provides the map but leaders pick the path
“Polling may need a shot in the arm, but it certainly does not rate a shot in the back. The snipers on all sides are having a field day.” (from In Defense of Public Opinion Polling by Kenneth F. Warren)
These are the sort of words that could have been said in the offices of UK polling companies over the last few weeks. The fact that they were actually said by pioneering US pollster Archibald M. Crossley in 1949 only proves that the challenges pollsters face today aren’t new.
What exactly is a narrative?
The UK political conference season is now in full swing and the media are obsessing about ‘the narrative’. Last week, The Guardian claimed Labour leader Ed Miliband set out a “clear overarching narrative” for government. The Confederation of British Industry disagreed, arguing Miliband’s speech lacked an “economic narrative”. Others claimed his speech was part of a “narrative reorientation process…” – a procedure which sounds possibly quite painful.
