Never Mind The Bar Charts

Nov 10 2024 130 ep. 44 mins 224

Never Mind The Bar Charts Podcast artwork

Mark Pack and guests talk about the Liberal Democrats, British politics and a few stray digressions. Only a few.

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Does proportional representation produce weak governments?

Nov 10 2024 39 mins

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts takes a look at recent research into the impact of electoral reform on the stability of governments. Does PR mean less stable government? Listen to my discussion with the research's author Dylan Difford to find out. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Strong and Stab

Do those "Winning Here" posters and bar charts actually work?

Oct 11 2024 44 mins

Election campaigns often put significant effort into persuading voters that their candidate(s) could win. But does such campaigning really change people's expectations of who might win? And even if it people's views do change, does being seen as a more likely winner really help you win the election? Or in other words, are all those "winning here" posters and bar charts worth it?

Failed State: why our government is broken and how to fix it

Sep 07 2024 48 mins

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts sees a return to the show for Sam Freedman. This time he’s got a new book out, about how our government is broken – and what to do to fix it. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Failed State: Why Nothing Works and How We Fix It by Sam Freedman: Amazon, Waterstones, UK

The importance of geography to British electoral politics

Aug 04 2024 50 mins

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts discusses a great new book about the geography of British elections with its two authors, Jamie Furlong and Will Jennings. Why do the Conservatives underperform on Merseyside yet overperform in Lincolnshire, and how much of electoral geography is really about individual campaigners? Take a listen to find out... Show notes Get

Election 2024 debrief: podcast with Tim Bale

Jul 14 2024 59 mins

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts takes a look back to the five criteria for success that Professor Tim Bale set out for opposition leaders and considers how they played out by the end of the 2024 general election. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Our original discussion of five tests for oppositi

One last podcast before polling day

Jul 02 2024 46 mins

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts is another special with John Potter and the Lib Dem Pod, looking at all the latest from the election campaign. Show notes The More in Common polling I mention. Lib Dem Pod. Theme tune by Hugo Lee. New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts. Check out some of this show's most popular previous

The best Lib Dem general election campaign since...?

Jun 11 2024 46 mins

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts is another special with John Potter and the Lib Dem Pod, looking at all the latest from the election campaign with Lib Dem peer Liz Barker and Lib Dem candidate David Chadwick. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes The Lib Dem manifesto. The election timetable. David

A Dalek, The Avengers and other reasons to canvass with Victoria Collins

Jun 07 2024 43 mins

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts is another team-up with the Lib Dem podcast, taking a look at the general election, mulling over Nigel Farage's entrance and hearing about how a Dalek got canvassed. Appearing on the show is Victoria Collins. The constituency she is standing in includes the village of Aldbury, often used in TV and films, including for Doctor Who and

What do candidates get up to in their leaflets?

Jun 05 2024 45 mins

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts saw a return for the Professor of Political Leafleting, the Lady of the Leaflets, Professor Caitlin Milazzo. She's one of the top experts on what election candidates put in their leaflets and why. So just the person to talk with as even more leaflets are headed to people's letterboxes for the general election. Show notes The Open E

The general election is on: how's it going?

May 30 2024 50 mins

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts is another team-up with John Potter and the Lib Dem Pod team. This time we were joined by Bill Revans, leader of the largest elected Lib Dem group in the country, to talk about the start of the general election. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Lib Dem Pod. Theme