Well done to ICM and Survation. You might both be wrong and the answer lies somewhere in the middle but you were both brave enough to stick by your guns.
The less said about the YouGov "model", the better.
Its their predictions/figures for Banff and Buchan and Gordon that I find really fascinating when you consider who vacated the former seat to then go onto win the latter seat.
Morning from the big sandpit, and a lovely morning it is too. Hope the weather stays good in the UK, good luck to all those involved today in canvassing, telling, getting out the vote and otherwise engaged - especially to @Tissue_Price@Lennon and any other candidates.
Most importantly, tell everyone to vote, this democracy thing is important!
Morning from the big sandpit, and a lovely morning it is too. Hope the weather stays good in the UK, good luck to all those involved today in canvassing, telling, getting out the vote and otherwise engaged - especially to @Tissue_Price@Lennon and any other candidates.
Most importantly, tell everyone to vote, this democracy thing is important!
Not at war with Qatar/Iran yet? Qatar Airways are having to make some serious route diversions! (My second favourite ME carrier after Emirates).
Well the betting markets seem to be closer to the ICM than the YouGov forecast for what might happen.
Con Majority now 1.18 on Betfair (cue hundreds of comments about NOM being 1.12 at this point in 2015!) and Spreadex mid point now up to 370 Con seats.
Morning from the big sandpit, and a lovely morning it is too. Hope the weather stays good in the UK, good luck to all those involved today in canvassing, telling, getting out the vote and otherwise engaged - especially to @Tissue_Price@Lennon and any other candidates.
Most importantly, tell everyone to vote, this democracy thing is important!
Not at war with Qatar/Iran yet? Qatar Airways are having to make some serious route diversions! (My second favourite ME carrier after Emirates).
Looks like we're still in the proxy war phase right now, but Qatar is rapidly running out of supplies due to the blockade. I'd image the change in policy isn't too far away now, as all their neighbours cut them off.
Qatar Airways are massively inconvenienced, they're losing all the Gulf regional traffic and as you say are having to make some epic diversions to get anywhere to the south. Was supposed to be flying with them DXB>DOH>LHR in a couple of weeks but have had to rebook on another airline.
End of the Union pier show if the exit poll is right.
Some better tips in the subsequent thread (although did UKIP cycle through several leaders until they actually got to His Serene Highness Dr Paul Nuttall VC DSO?)
So, anyone here having doubts about a Con majority?
I did not see the infamous David Herdson post last night, but gather he was saying that the Labour surge may actually be real. I think David will be slightly embarrassed by that this time tomorrow - but that he will not care because the Tories will have secured a huge majority, probably in excess of 100. I know I keep saying it, but the Midlands and the North outside of the Manchester/Merseyside corridor are going to be a bloodbath for Labour. Any rise in vote share for the party will happen in places where it doesn't matter.
The more interesting stuff begins on 9th June. This election has seen perceptions of May change markedly. That will have longer term consequences, both here in the UK and for the Brexit negotiations.
End of the Union pier show if the exit poll is right.
Some better tips in the subsequent thread (although did UKIP cycle through several leaders until they actually got to His Serene Highness Dr Paul Nuttall VC DSO?)
End of the Union pier show if the exit poll is right.
Some better tips in the subsequent thread (although did UKIP cycle through several leaders until they actually got to His Serene Highness Dr Paul Nuttall VC DSO?)
End of the Union pier show if the exit poll is right.
Some better tips in the subsequent thread (although did UKIP cycle through several leaders until they actually got to His Serene Highness Dr Paul Nuttall VC DSO?)
Paul Nuttall as next leader of UKIP has to be value at 7/1 if they do really well in the north.
See Survation lol
I feel sorry for Paul Nuttall, placed atop the UKIP sandcastle, just as the tide came in.- LOL.
It is hard to feel sorry for UKIP. Unlike the LDs last time, this is just deserts. And if they were still at 15% in the polls, do you think Nuttall would have been given the chance to be Leader anyway?
I was going to avoid PB like the plague this morning - still anxious I might be horribly wrong about the election result - but I woke up at stupid o'clock and am bored and fidgety.
On topic: Survation certainly have piled all their chips on Red for this one. As well as being the only BPC pollster showing a virtual tie, their final Scotland-only poll has Lab 3% ahead of Con.
If Survation are close to the right result and we're into Hung Parliament territory, then they're not only picking up something really important that most of the others aren't, but also the result will run contrary to the mood music coming from most of the focus groups, canvassing returns, and the patterns of the two leaders' campaign visits as well.
Moreover, a result of approximately 40 Con:40 Lab would require an enormous surge from young and non-voters; the majority of Ukip defectors to cross to Lab, not Con; a significant net direct flow of voters from Con to Lab; or, most likely, a combination of the first factor with one of the other two. It just smells terrible.
At the other end of the spectrum, BMG - with a landslide-inducing 13% Tory lead - are, apparently, Labour's house pollster for this election. Something's gotta give...
So, anyone here having doubts about a Con majority?
I did not see the infamous David Herdson post last night, but gather he was saying that the Labour surge may actually be real. I think David will be slightly embarrassed by that this time tomorrow - but that he will not care because the Tories will have secured a huge majority, probably in excess of 100. I know I keep saying it, but the Midlands and the North outside of the Manchester/Merseyside corridor are going to be a bloodbath for Labour. Any rise in vote share for the party will happen in places where it doesn't matter.
The more interesting stuff begins on 9th June. This election has seen perceptions of May change markedly. That will have longer term consequences, both here in the UK and for the Brexit negotiations.
It was nevertheless a perfect demonstration of the crisis that getting a bad street can bring on in anyone fighting an election. We've all been there.
So, anyone here having doubts about a Con majority?
I did not see the infamous David Herdson post last night, but gather he was saying that the Labour surge may actually be real. I think David will be slightly embarrassed by that this time tomorrow - but that he will not care because the Tories will have secured a huge majority, probably in excess of 100. I know I keep saying it, but the Midlands and the North outside of the Manchester/Merseyside corridor are going to be a bloodbath for Labour. Any rise in vote share for the party will happen in places where it doesn't matter.
Yes, in his initial post he stated that he stated/implied that Corbyn 'would do it' and predicted Con at 300 (later no more than 325). Nick Palmer thought that he'd just had a bad session but I know it left a few PB Tories on here quite shaken.
That post did leave me thinking that something may up. But I am still thinking how can Corbyn win/Labour be the largest party in a hung parliament/Con minority with 65+ going so heavily for Con, Kippers going so heavily for Con, and inevitable losses in the Midlands and the North (like you say) for Labour?
So we'll see what happens, but I'd be shocked if it isn't Con majority.
Presumably something similar is also going on with Survation?
You'd have to think that if turnout for GE2017 isn't up significantly (probably over 70%,) then the youth surge will have failed to materialise and that would be a good early indicator that the more Labour-leaning pollsters are wrong.
And beyond that, what if there is a rise in turnout - but it consists disproportionately of people who stayed at home in 2015, but were motivated to vote Leave last year, and have now decided to back Mrs May to deliver Brexit?
Voting commences in about 45 minutes, less than 16 hours to the Exit Poll. Tick, tock...
So, anyone here having doubts about a Con majority?
Everyone has doubt until they know! If the Tories don't get across the line it will be a self inflicted chest wound. The announcement about Social care was madness.
My certainty level is low, and I think it quite possible that the Con seats could be 40 less. There is a palpable half heartedness about the Tories. The farmers fields that are usually full of posters are bare.
So, anyone here having doubts about a Con majority?
I did not see the infamous David Herdson post last night, but gather he was saying that the Labour surge may actually be real. I think David will be slightly embarrassed by that this time tomorrow - but that he will not care because the Tories will have secured a huge majority, probably in excess of 100. I know I keep saying it, but the Midlands and the North outside of the Manchester/Merseyside corridor are going to be a bloodbath for Labour. Any rise in vote share for the party will happen in places where it doesn't matter.
Yes, in his initial post he stated that he stated/implied that Corbyn 'would do it' and predicted Con at 300 (later no more than 325). Nick Palmer thought that he'd just had a bad session but I know it left a few PB Tories on here quite shaken.
That post did leave me thinking that something may up. But I am still thinking how can Corbyn win/Labour be the largest party in a hung parliament/Con minority with 65+ going so heavily for Con, Kippers going so heavily for Con, and inevitable losses in the Midlands and the North (like you say) for Labour?
I think Nick Palmer was correct. All on the ground political operators have their outlier sessions where a temporary reality meets expectation.
However let's take Herder's Con 325 figure and briefly examine it. Take the Con base point and add a few not unreasonable gains in Scotalnd. So 335. This means in England and Wales Con will overall lose 10 seats. Does that seem in anyway a viable prospect.
The bigger worry for pollsters is that the one who is right is right by accident? For five years everyone will assume that their adjustments must be the *correct* ones to make, then next time things will turn out differently once again.
My certainty level is low, and I think it quite possible that the Con seats could be 40 less. There is a palpable half heartedness about the Tories. The farmers fields that are usually full of posters are bare.
The sheep have already voted?
The change in the mood of the Tories was remarkable. Being a Tory canvasser can't be the most enjoyable of activities, yet the Tories I know were, for the first few weeks, absolutely loving it. Then everything changed.
It could be anything from Cons on 315 to 400 for me. Why the spread? All depends on the late deciders, and waverers. The assumption is they'll all plump for May. But, what if they don't, and, "f*ck it, Corbyn it is", is the response?
We just don't know.
Lib Dems, I think, will do a little better than expected.
Also: word of warning. If seats are to be swinging wildly all over the place tonight, I'd expect the exit poll to perhaps be a little less accurate than usual, possibly with both Con/Lab seats predictions having an error of +/- 20 seats.
That's where Crosby/Messina (should) make the difference, on the Tory upside.
So, anyone here having doubts about a Con majority?
I did not see the infamous David Herdson post last night, but gather he was saying that the Labour surge may actually be real. I think David will be slightly embarrassed by that this time tomorrow - but that he will not care because the Tories will have secured a huge majority, probably in excess of 100. I know I keep saying it, but the Midlands and the North outside of the Manchester/Merseyside corridor are going to be a bloodbath for Labour. Any rise in vote share for the party will happen in places where it doesn't matter.
Yes, in his initial post he stated that he stated/implied that Corbyn 'would do it' and predicted Con at 300 (later no more than 325). Nick Palmer thought that he'd just had a bad session but I know it left a few PB Tories on here quite shaken.
That post did leave me thinking that something may up. But I am still thinking how can Corbyn win/Labour be the largest party in a hung parliament/Con minority with 65+ going so heavily for Con, Kippers going so heavily for Con, and inevitable losses in the Midlands and the North (like you say) for Labour?
I think Nick Palmer was correct. All on the ground political operators have their outlier sessions where a temporary reality meets expectation.
However let's take Herder's Con 325 figure and briefly examine it. Take the Con base point and add a few not unreasonable gains in Scotalnd. So 335. This means in England and Wales Con will overall lose 10 seats. Does that seem in anyway a viable prospect.
No.
+1, even if Labour really do surge in London (as I suspect they will) Croydon Central appears to be only seat they'll take off the Tories there.
So, anyone here having doubts about a Con majority?
Everyone has doubt until they know! If the Tories don't get across the line it will be a self inflicted chest wound. The announcement about Social care was madness.
I would put May not living up to preconceptions, and trashing the strong and stable brand, above the content of the care policy per se. But there is no doubt that care has come up on some doorsteps.
So, anyone here having doubts about a Con majority?
Everyone has doubt until they know! If the Tories don't get across the line it will be a self inflicted chest wound. The announcement about Social care was madness.
In order to believe that there will be a Hung Parliament, you have to be credulous of the notion of the Conservatives making more losses than gains, which in turn is predicated upon one (or, more likely a combination of several) in a series of implausible scenarios:
1. More (probably significantly more) 2015 voters will cross directly from Con to Lab than from Lab to Con 2. There will be an enormous spike in turnout amongst voters in the 18-30 age range, *and* virtually all of them will back Labour 3. Conversely, older voters will abstain in historically unprecedented numbers 4. Either Ukip will miraculously fail to collapse or, if it does, most of its ex-voters will back Labour rather than the Conservatives 5. Related to 4, there will be no differential swing across the country, merely a uniform surge in the Labour vote (and, by extension, the vast bulk of non-polling opinion such as from canvass returns and focus groups, which shows Labour struggling in most of England outside of inner London and a few other metropolitan cores, will be shown to be totally invalid.) 6. The remnants of the Liberal Democrat vote have, amazingly, become so powerfully concentrated geographically that they make a successful defence of all their Tory-facing seats, *and* recover a substantial fraction of their 2015 losses
It's the sort of thing that, if you really want to keep Corbyn away from the levers of power, your inner chimp might have a panic attack about. But logically, I don't see how there's any meaningful probability of a Hung Parliament coming to pass under today's circumstances. You might just as well worry about dying from being struck by a stray meteorite: this would both be theoretically possible and self-evidently a catastrophe, but how many of us stop to fret over it?
Presumably something similar is also going on with Survation?
You'd have to think that if turnout for GE2017 isn't up significantly (probably over 70%,) then the youth surge will have failed to materialise and that would be a good early indicator that the more Labour-leaning pollsters are wrong.
And beyond that, what if there is a rise in turnout - but it consists disproportionately of people who stayed at home in 2015, but were motivated to vote Leave last year, and have now decided to back Mrs May to deliver Brexit?
Voting commences in about 45 minutes, less than 16 hours to the Exit Poll. Tick, tock...
Anecdote alert. I’ve never seen my 20-something grandchildren so fired up to vote. It’s not their first election, either.
So, anyone here having doubts about a Con majority?
I did not see the infamous David Herdson post last night, but gather he was saying that the Labour surge may actually be real. I think David will be slightly embarrassed by that this time tomorrow - but that he will not care because the Tories will have secured a huge majority, probably in excess of 100. I know I keep saying it, but the Midlands and the North outside of the Manchester/Merseyside corridor are going to be a bloodbath for Labour. Any rise in vote share for the party will happen in places where it doesn't matter.
Yes, in his initial post he stated that he stated/implied that Corbyn 'would do it' and predicted Con at 300 (later no more than 325). Nick Palmer thought that he'd just had a bad session but I know it left a few PB Tories on here quite shaken.
That post did leave me thinking that something may up. But I am still thinking how can Corbyn win/Labour be the largest party in a hung parliament/Con minority with 65+ going so heavily for Con, Kippers going so heavily for Con, and inevitable losses in the Midlands and the North (like you say) for Labour?
So we'll see what happens, but I'd be shocked if it isn't Con majority.
The thing that might be up is regional and even local variation. The most obvious anomaly in the table in the header is SNP at 5% -- they are a damn sight higher than that in Scotland, and at zero elsewhere. Some of the regional breakdowns show Labour and Conservatives closer than in 2015 but of course within region, constituencies may not be homogeneous. I'm getting close to calling for marginals polling but Lord Ashcroft's results were highly misleading last time!
So, anyone here having doubts about a Con majority?
I did not see the infamous David Herdson post last night, but gather he was saying that the Labour surge may actually be real. I think David will be slightly embarrassed by that this time tomorrow - but that he will not care because the Tories will have secured a huge majority, probably in excess of 100. I know I keep saying it, but the Midlands and the North outside of the Manchester/Merseyside corridor are going to be a bloodbath for Labour. Any rise in vote share for the party will happen in places where it doesn't matter.
Yes, in his initial post he stated that he stated/implied that Corbyn 'would do it' and predicted Con at 300 (later no more than 325). Nick Palmer thought that he'd just had a bad session but I know it left a few PB Tories on here quite shaken.
That post did leave me thinking that something may up. But I am still thinking how can Corbyn win/Labour be the largest party in a hung parliament/Con minority with 65+ going so heavily for Con, Kippers going so heavily for Con, and inevitable losses in the Midlands and the North (like you say) for Labour?
I think Nick Palmer was correct. All on the ground political operators have their outlier sessions where a temporary reality meets expectation.
However let's take Herder's Con 325 figure and briefly examine it. Take the Con base point and add a few not unreasonable gains in Scotalnd. So 335. This means in England and Wales Con will overall lose 10 seats. Does that seem in anyway a viable prospect.
No.
+1, even if Labour really do surge in London (as I suspect they will) Croydon Central appears to be only seat they'll take off the Tories there.
As PB'ers have been saying all along, the key is the Tory vote share. The Survation type scenario only comes about if there are second thoughts amongst a reasonable number of Tories, sufficient to push their vote down from the ICM 45% to 40% or below. Non-voters turning out for Labour can't do this.
Although there are indeed plenty of reasons to be doubtful about the Tories, it is hard to see what would lead to last minute desertions by people who, if the polls are right, have been loyal so far? Concerns about Brexit haven't coloured the election at all, and the only last minute question is the police numbers debate, which I don't think has the traction.
So, anyone here having doubts about a Con majority?
Everyone has doubt until they know! If the Tories don't get across the line it will be a self inflicted chest wound. The announcement about Social care was madness.
In order to believe that there will be a Hung Parliament, you have to be credulous of the notion of the Conservatives making more losses than gains, which in turn is predicated upon one (or, more likely a combination of several) in a series of implausible scenarios:
1. More (probably significantly more) 2015 voters will cross directly from Con to Lab than from Lab to Con 2. There will be an enormous spike in turnout amongst voters in the 18-30 age range, *and* virtually all of them will back Labour 3. Conversely, older voters will abstain in historically unprecedented numbers 4. Either Ukip will miraculously fail to collapse or, if it does, most of its ex-voters will back Labour rather than the Conservatives 5. Related to 4, there will be no differential swing across the country, merely a uniform surge in the Labour vote (and, by extension, the vast bulk of non-polling opinion such as from canvass returns and focus groups, which shows Labour struggling in most of England outside of inner London and a few other metropolitan cores, will be shown to be totally invalid.) 6. The remnants of the Liberal Democrat vote have, amazingly, become so powerfully concentrated geographically that they make a successful defence of all their Tory-facing seats, *and* recover a substantial fraction of their 2015 losses
It's the sort of thing that, if you really want to keep Corbyn away from the levers of power, your inner chimp might have a panic attack about. But logically, I don't see how there's any meaningful probability of a Hung Parliament coming to pass under today's circumstances. You might just as well worry about dying from being struck by a stray meteorite: this would both be theoretically possible and self-evidently a catastrophe, but how many of us stop to fret over it?
We fret because the thought of Corbyn as PM really would f the Country up good and proper.
Oh and I worry about stray meteorites all the time but mainly when Horizon does a programme about the Kuiper belt!
So, anyone here having doubts about a Con majority?
I did not see the infamous David Herdson post last night, but gather he was saying that the Labour surge may actually be real. I think David will be slightly embarrassed by that this time tomorrow - but that he will not care because the Tories will have secured a huge majority, probably in excess of 100. I know I keep saying it, but the Midlands and the North outside of the Manchester/Merseyside corridor are going to be a bloodbath for Labour. Any rise in vote share for the party will happen in places where it doesn't matter.
Yes, in his initial post he stated that he stated/implied that Corbyn 'would do it' and predicted Con at 300 (later no more than 325). Nick Palmer thought that he'd just had a bad session but I know it left a few PB Tories on here quite shaken.
That post did leave me thinking that something may up. But I am still thinking how can Corbyn win/Labour be the largest party in a hung parliament/Con minority with 65+ going so heavily for Con, Kippers going so heavily for Con, and inevitable losses in the Midlands and the North (like you say) for Labour?
So we'll see what happens, but I'd be shocked if it isn't Con majority.
The thing that might be up is regional and even local variation. The most obvious anomaly in the table in the header is SNP at 5% -- they are a damn sight higher than that in Scotland, and at zero elsewhere. Some of the regional breakdowns show Labour and Conservatives closer than in 2015 but of course within region, constituencies may not be homogeneous. I'm getting close to calling for marginals polling but Lord Ashcroft's results were highly misleading last time!
TSE always says not read too much into subsamples, that's why I've kind of ignored them. In terms of regional polling [not subsamples], I think we have only had London, Scotland and Wales in recent weeks.
I remember how Ashcroft's marginal polls were so disastrously wrong last time - that's why I'm not rushing to hold up his forecast as the total gospel.
The irony is, is that YouGov's polling model is probably the future of the polling industry, but they've made themselves look so silly in this GE no matter the result, especially with that methodology change last night!
I agree that the OM will be about 60, but I expect the LDs to be virtually wiped out, so my prediction is: C 355 (44%) Lab 225 (36%) SNP 45 Other GB 7 NI 18
The thing that might be up is regional and even local variation. The most obvious anomaly in the table in the header is SNP at 5% -- they are a damn sight higher than that in Scotland, and at zero elsewhere.
Remember that this is a table of GB-wide final polls. In 2015, the SNP won 4.9% of the GB total, so polls predicting 4% or 5% are wholly consistent with a continuing trend of SNP strength.
My certainty level is low, and I think it quite possible that the Con seats could be 40 less. There is a palpable half heartedness about the Tories. The farmers fields that are usually full of posters are bare.
The sheep have already voted?
The change in the mood of the Tories was remarkable. Being a Tory canvasser can't be the most enjoyable of activities, yet the Tories I know were, for the first few weeks, absolutely loving it. Then everything changed.
The big story of the campaign is May's personal loss of aura and mojo. Her limitations have been fully revealed. The team we're sending into bat for us in the Brexit talks is weak, ill-prepared and in possession of no strategic advantages. That's a huge worry.
Yesterday I posted that I thought Survation would wimp out by showing an increased Tory lead but that Yougov would stick to their guns. I was completely wrong and it was the other way around. As TSE says, well done to those who had the courage of their convictions and were willing to trust the data that they had. As for Yougov, well the reputational damage of this campaign is already built in whatever the result.
I think the chances of a Tory lead of 10+ tonight are good. That is only a modest swing from 2015 but the same trends we saw then (Labour doing well in the larger cities, not so much elsewhere) seem exacerbated this time and that may well cost them.
So, anyone here having doubts about a Con majority?
I did not see the infamous David Herdson post last night, but gather he was saying that the Labour surge may actually be real. I think David will be slightly embarrassed by that this time tomorrow - but that he will not care because the Tories will have secured a huge majority, probably in excess of 100. I know I keep saying it, but the Midlands and the North outside of the Manchester/Merseyside corridor are going to be a bloodbath for Labour. Any rise in vote share for the party will happen in places where it doesn't matter.
The more interesting stuff begins on 9th June. This election has seen perceptions of May change markedly. That will have longer term consequences, both here in the UK and for the Brexit negotiations.
Certainly the most exciting moment of the election so far.
In years to come people will be asking
"Where were you when you first read David's post......"
Presumably something similar is also going on with Survation?
You'd have to think that if turnout for GE2017 isn't up significantly (probably over 70%,) then the youth surge will have failed to materialise and that would be a good early indicator that the more Labour-leaning pollsters are wrong.
And beyond that, what if there is a rise in turnout - but it consists disproportionately of people who stayed at home in 2015, but were motivated to vote Leave last year, and have now decided to back Mrs May to deliver Brexit?
Voting commences in about 45 minutes, less than 16 hours to the Exit Poll. Tick, tock...
Anecdote alert. I’ve never seen my 20-something grandchildren so fired up to vote. It’s not their first election, either.
And it’s for Labour! Oh, and they voted Remain!
Well, it all rather depends on how politically engaged younger voters as a whole are feeling this time around.
As a rough estimate, if an extra million younger people turnout at this time *and* they all voted Labour, it would be worth about a 3% boost to Labour's final share. Clearly the fewer additional youngsters bother, and the more of them vote Conservative (NB another possible source of Shy Tories - for how many young people would voting Conservative be a source of social shame and/or abuse?), the more marginal the effect becomes.
Totally O/t, but something for my home town to be proud of. Just for once! Quote from the BBC. ‘Several pupils from a school in Canvey Island have scored highly in a Mensa Genius Test.” In the high 150’s; one at least 160 plus.
So, anyone here having doubts about a Con majority?
Everyone has doubt until they know! If the Tories don't get across the line it will be a self inflicted chest wound. The announcement about Social care was madness.
In order to believe that there will be a Hung Parliament, you have to be credulous of the notion of the Conservatives making more losses than gains, which in turn is predicated upon one (or, more likely a combination of several) in a series of implausible scenarios:
1. More (probably significantly more) 2015 voters will cross directly from Con to Lab than from Lab to Con 2. There will be an enormous spike in turnout amongst voters in the 18-30 age range, *and* virtually all of them will back Labour 3. Conversely, older voters will abstain in historically unprecedented numbers 4. Either Ukip will miraculously fail to collapse or, if it does, most of its ex-voters will back Labour rather than the Conservatives 5. Related to 4, there will be no differential swing across the country, merely a uniform surge in the Labour vote (and, by extension, the vast bulk of non-polling opinion such as from canvass returns and focus groups, which shows Labour struggling in most of England outside of inner London and a few other metropolitan cores, will be shown to be totally invalid.) 6. The remnants of the Liberal Democrat vote have, amazingly, become so powerfully concentrated geographically that they make a successful defence of all their Tory-facing seats, *and* recover a substantial fraction of their 2015 losses
It's the sort of thing that, if you really want to keep Corbyn away from the levers of power, your inner chimp might have a panic attack about. But logically, I don't see how there's any meaningful probability of a Hung Parliament coming to pass under today's circumstances. You might just as well worry about dying from being struck by a stray meteorite: this would both be theoretically possible and self-evidently a catastrophe, but how many of us stop to fret over it?
We fret because the thought of Corbyn as PM really would f the Country up good and proper.
Oh and I worry about stray meteorites all the time but mainly when Horizon does a programme about the Kuiper belt!
I sympathise. With the Corbyn bit, not the stray meteorite bit.
Keeping my inner Labour Government catastrophe chimp under control for these last several weeks has been rather difficult. The end of this campaign, provided that it results in any kind of working Conservative majority, will be an enormous relief.
Presumably something similar is also going on with Survation?
You'd have to think that if turnout for GE2017 isn't up significantly (probably over 70%,) then the youth surge will have failed to materialise and that would be a good early indicator that the more Labour-leaning pollsters are wrong.
And beyond that, what if there is a rise in turnout - but it consists disproportionately of people who stayed at home in 2015, but were motivated to vote Leave last year, and have now decided to back Mrs May to deliver Brexit?
Voting commences in about 45 minutes, less than 16 hours to the Exit Poll. Tick, tock...
Anecdote alert. I’ve never seen my 20-something grandchildren so fired up to vote. It’s not their first election, either.
And it’s for Labour! Oh, and they voted Remain!
As I've mentioned before it's not the children and grandchildren of PB members that Labour need the vote of. It's the 'don't care about politics' or 'the left school at 18s'. Are they really turned on to politics for the first time ever by Jeremy Corbyn? I have very, very strong doubts.
My certainty level is low, and I think it quite possible that the Con seats could be 40 less. There is a palpable half heartedness about the Tories. The farmers fields that are usually full of posters are bare.
The sheep have already voted?
The change in the mood of the Tories was remarkable. Being a Tory canvasser can't be the most enjoyable of activities, yet the Tories I know were, for the first few weeks, absolutely loving it. Then everything changed.
The big story of the campaign is May's personal loss of aura and mojo. Her limitations have been fully revealed. The team we're sending into bat for us in the Brexit talks is weak, ill-prepared and in possession of no strategic advantages. That's a huge worry.
And the opposite for Corbyn: unless Labour are trounced, his star is ascendant. He'll have seen off his detractors within the party. Again.
As PB'ers have been saying all along, the key is the Tory vote share. The Survation type scenario only comes about if there are second thoughts amongst a reasonable number of Tories, sufficient to push their vote down from the ICM 45% to 40% or below. Non-voters turning out for Labour can't do this.
Although there are indeed plenty of reasons to be doubtful about the Tories, it is hard to see what would lead to last minute desertions by people who, if the polls are right, have been loyal so far? Concerns about Brexit haven't coloured the election at all, and the only last minute question is the police numbers debate, which I don't think has the traction.
It was reported that Messina was surprised by the high number of don't knows. It may not be necessary to posit large numbers of defections (or changes of mind) from Tory to Labour, or any at all. It might be the DKs making up their minds -- provided they all lean the same way.
So, anyone here having doubts about a Con majority?
I did not see the infamous David Herdson post last night, but gather he was saying that the Labour surge may actually be real. I think David will be slightly embarrassed by that this time tomorrow - but that he will not care because the Tories will have secured a huge majority, probably in excess of 100. I know I keep saying it, but the Midlands and the North outside of the Manchester/Merseyside corridor are going to be a bloodbath for Labour. Any rise in vote share for the party will happen in places where it doesn't matter.
The more interesting stuff begins on 9th June. This election has seen perceptions of May change markedly. That will have longer term consequences, both here in the UK and for the Brexit negotiations.
The interesting stuff begins for Labour too: what to do about the unlikely hero, Jeremy Corbyn?
Presumably something similar is also going on with Survation?
You'd have to think that if turnout for GE2017 isn't up significantly (probably over 70%,) then the youth surge will have failed to materialise and that would be a good early indicator that the more Labour-leaning pollsters are wrong.
And beyond that, what if there is a rise in turnout - but it consists disproportionately of people who stayed at home in 2015, but were motivated to vote Leave last year, and have now decided to back Mrs May to deliver Brexit?
Voting commences in about 45 minutes, less than 16 hours to the Exit Poll. Tick, tock...
Anecdote alert. I’ve never seen my 20-something grandchildren so fired up to vote. It’s not their first election, either.
And it’s for Labour! Oh, and they voted Remain!
As I've mentioned before it's not the children and grandchildren of PB members that Labour need the vote of. It's the 'don't care about politics' or 'the left school at 18s'. Are they really turned on to politics for the first time ever by Jeremy Corbyn? I have very, very strong doubts.
Free tuition fees is a big draw for the university types or those going. It'll make a difference but not enough. Part of the reason Labour might do better than they ought is that they have offered an array of freebies that are madness in terms of who is going to pay. Voters don't care if others suffer so long as they get their freebies/
My certainty level is low, and I think it quite possible that the Con seats could be 40 less. There is a palpable half heartedness about the Tories. The farmers fields that are usually full of posters are bare.
The sheep have already voted?
The change in the mood of the Tories was remarkable. Being a Tory canvasser can't be the most enjoyable of activities, yet the Tories I know were, for the first few weeks, absolutely loving it. Then everything changed.
The big story of the campaign is May's personal loss of aura and mojo. Her limitations have been fully revealed. The team we're sending into bat for us in the Brexit talks is weak, ill-prepared and in possession of no strategic advantages. That's a huge worry.
And the opposite for Corbyn: unless Labour are trounced, his star is ascendant. He'll have seen off his detractors within the party. Again.
+1 on May. As if Brexit wasn't enough of a gamble already.
For Labour it's a classic impasse. Corbyn the campaigner has been vindicated on the campaign trail, saving them from utter disaster, with Corbyn's radicalism making him the 'change' candidate in a way that Owen Smith would never have achieved. Yet his detractors will argue that Labour wouldn't have started so low in the polls without him, will see Labour losing seats in opposition as obvious bad rather than good news, and wonder whether under someone else the arrogant complacent shambles that has been May's campaign might have been beaten?
My certainty level is low, and I think it quite possible that the Con seats could be 40 less. There is a palpable half heartedness about the Tories. The farmers fields that are usually full of posters are bare.
The sheep have already voted?
The change in the mood of the Tories was remarkable. Being a Tory canvasser can't be the most enjoyable of activities, yet the Tories I know were, for the first few weeks, absolutely loving it. Then everything changed.
The big story of the campaign is May's personal loss of aura and mojo. Her limitations have been fully revealed. The team we're sending into bat for us in the Brexit talks is weak, ill-prepared and in possession of no strategic advantages. That's a huge worry.
And the opposite for Corbyn: unless Labour are trounced, his star is ascendant. He'll have seen off his detractors within the party. Again.
Labour's position is interesting. Corbyn has had a good campaign. The baggage is now out there and fully factored in. If both sides in the Labour dispute learn the right lessons, there is a way forward. What is clear is that tomorrow it can retreat into relative obscurity. That gives the party time to think. It should take it. From 9th June it's all about Brexit and the deal the Tories can or can't get.
My certainty level is low, and I think it quite possible that the Con seats could be 40 less. There is a palpable half heartedness about the Tories. The farmers fields that are usually full of posters are bare.
The sheep have already voted?
The change in the mood of the Tories was remarkable. Being a Tory canvasser can't be the most enjoyable of activities, yet the Tories I know were, for the first few weeks, absolutely loving it. Then everything changed.
The big story of the campaign is May's personal loss of aura and mojo. Her limitations have been fully revealed. The team we're sending into bat for us in the Brexit talks is weak, ill-prepared and in possession of no strategic advantages. That's a huge worry.
And the opposite for Corbyn: unless Labour are trounced, his star is ascendant. He'll have seen off his detractors within the party. Again.
Yes, absent a disaster he's now very much master of his own fate. Wonder how the heavy hitters sulking on the back benches will respond?
Presumably something similar is also going on with Survation?
You'd have to think that if turnout for GE2017 isn't up significantly (probably over 70%,) then the youth surge will have failed to materialise and that would be a good early indicator that the more Labour-leaning pollsters are wrong.
And beyond that, what if there is a rise in turnout - but it consists disproportionately of people who stayed at home in 2015, but were motivated to vote Leave last year, and have now decided to back Mrs May to deliver Brexit?
Voting commences in about 45 minutes, less than 16 hours to the Exit Poll. Tick, tock...
Anecdote alert. I’ve never seen my 20-something grandchildren so fired up to vote. It’s not their first election, either.
And it’s for Labour! Oh, and they voted Remain!
As I've mentioned before it's not the children and grandchildren of PB members that Labour need the vote of. It's the 'don't care about politics' or 'the left school at 18s'. Are they really turned on to politics for the first time ever by Jeremy Corbyn? I have very, very strong doubts.
One of my grandchildren, and a 'soon to be’ granddaughter-in-law teach what I still call VI formers. Thoise who can vote will, apparently, vote Labour. And the area in which they live is Tory .And it’s not JC that turns them on, appaerently, but the problems of housing, paying for Uni, and the (effective) cuts in education and health.
So, anyone here having doubts about a Con majority?
I did not see the infamous David Herdson post last night, but gather he was saying that the Labour surge may actually be real. I think David will be slightly embarrassed by that this time tomorrow - but that he will not care because the Tories will have secured a huge majority, probably in excess of 100. I know I keep saying it, but the Midlands and the North outside of the Manchester/Merseyside corridor are going to be a bloodbath for Labour. Any rise in vote share for the party will happen in places where it doesn't matter.
The more interesting stuff begins on 9th June. This election has seen perceptions of May change markedly. That will have longer term consequences, both here in the UK and for the Brexit negotiations.
The regional swings from Com Res didn't really show that, the swing in the east and west midlands was modest albeit it is of course being added to quite strong swings in those areas in 2015. The North east was much stronger but I am not sure how many winnable seats there are there. Bit like the fairly strong swing to Labour in the south. Won't do them much good either.
Presumably something similar is also going on with Survation?
You'd have to think that if turnout for GE2017 isn't up significantly (probably over 70%,) then the youth surge will have failed to materialise and that would be a good early indicator that the more Labour-leaning pollsters are wrong.
And beyond that, what if there is a rise in turnout - but it consists disproportionately of people who stayed at home in 2015, but were motivated to vote Leave last year, and have now decided to back Mrs May to deliver Brexit?
Voting commences in about 45 minutes, less than 16 hours to the Exit Poll. Tick, tock...
Anecdote alert. I’ve never seen my 20-something grandchildren so fired up to vote. It’s not their first election, either.
And it’s for Labour! Oh, and they voted Remain!
As I've mentioned before it's not the children and grandchildren of PB members that Labour need the vote of. It's the 'don't care about politics' or 'the left school at 18s'. Are they really turned on to politics for the first time ever by Jeremy Corbyn? I have very, very strong doubts.
One of my grandchildren, and a 'soon to be’ granddaughter-in-law teach what I still call VI formers. Thoise who can vote will, apparently, vote Labour. And the area in which they live is Tory .And it’s not JC that turns them on, appaerently, but the problems of housing, paying for Uni, and the (effective) cuts in education and health.
Anecdote, tiny sample etc I know, I know.
Yes, many young people really do feel that the cards have been stacked against them. The worrying aspect is the emerging massive age-related divide in this election, and May's demonstrated incompetence does little to ressure that she can or will deliver any significant change to level the playing field, whatever she may have said on arriving at Downing Street. Those words will disappear into history along with the peace and harmony that Mrs T promised to deliver.
Presumably something similar is also going on with Survation?
You'd have to think that if turnout for GE2017 isn't up significantly (probably over 70%,) then the youth surge will have failed to materialise and that would be a good early indicator that the more Labour-leaning pollsters are wrong.
And beyond that, what if there is a rise in turnout - but it consists disproportionately of people who stayed at home in 2015, but were motivated to vote Leave last year, and have now decided to back Mrs May to deliver Brexit?
Voting commences in about 45 minutes, less than 16 hours to the Exit Poll. Tick, tock...
Anecdote alert. I’ve never seen my 20-something grandchildren so fired up to vote. It’s not their first election, either.
And it’s for Labour! Oh, and they voted Remain!
As I've mentioned before it's not the children and grandchildren of PB members that Labour need the vote of. It's the 'don't care about politics' or 'the left school at 18s'. Are they really turned on to politics for the first time ever by Jeremy Corbyn? I have very, very strong doubts.
One of my grandchildren, and a 'soon to be’ granddaughter-in-law teach what I still call VI formers. Thoise who can vote will, apparently, vote Labour. And the area in which they live is Tory .And it’s not JC that turns them on, appaerently, but the problems of housing, paying for Uni, and the (effective) cuts in education and health.
Anecdote, tiny sample etc I know, I know.
Corbyn talks about issues that concern young people. May doesn't.
Presumably something similar is also going on with Survation?
You'd have to think that if turnout for GE2017 isn't up significantly (probably over 70%,) then the youth surge will have failed to materialise and that would be a good early indicator that the more Labour-leaning pollsters are wrong.
And beyond that, what if there is a rise in turnout - but it consists disproportionately of people who stayed at home in 2015, but were motivated to vote Leave last year, and have now decided to back Mrs May to deliver Brexit?
Voting commences in about 45 minutes, less than 16 hours to the Exit Poll. Tick, tock...
Anecdote alert. I’ve never seen my 20-something grandchildren so fired up to vote. It’s not their first election, either.
And it’s for Labour! Oh, and they voted Remain!
As I've mentioned before it's not the children and grandchildren of PB members that Labour need the vote of. It's the 'don't care about politics' or 'the left school at 18s'. Are they really turned on to politics for the first time ever by Jeremy Corbyn? I have very, very strong doubts.
Free tuition fees is a big draw for the university types or those going. It'll make a difference but not enough. Part of the reason Labour might do better than they ought is that they have offered an array of freebies that are madness in terms of who is going to pay. Voters don't care if others suffer so long as they get their freebies/
I agree it will definitely help. I just cannot foresee an increase on the 63% in the EU ref, particularly given most youngsters were on the losing side and it was a ref where every vote counted equally. There will always be a huge chunk of the youth who remain unengaged and the youth can be more socially Conservative than people think - many 18-24s, particularly men will pick up on Corbyn's lack of patriotism and are far more likely to pick up on what they hear from parents/grandparents than the more rebellious, engaged University activists who will have been in the Labour camp in 2015 anyway.
For me this youth increase is mostly noise created by those who voted in 2015 and those 14-17 year olds who cannot vote. 18-24 WON'T top 60%, I just don't see any evidence that it is engaging the youth as much as the EU ref beyond a couple of very questionable polls.
Presumably something similar is also going on with Survation?
You'd have to think that if turnout for GE2017 isn't up significantly (probably over 70%,) then the youth surge will have failed to materialise and that would be a good early indicator that the more Labour-leaning pollsters are wrong.
And beyond that, what if there is a rise in turnout - but it consists disproportionately of people who stayed at home in 2015, but were motivated to vote Leave last year, and have now decided to back Mrs May to deliver Brexit?
Voting commences in about 45 minutes, less than 16 hours to the Exit Poll. Tick, tock...
Anecdote alert. I’ve never seen my 20-something grandchildren so fired up to vote. It’s not their first election, either.
And it’s for Labour! Oh, and they voted Remain!
As I've mentioned before it's not the children and grandchildren of PB members that Labour need the vote of. It's the 'don't care about politics' or 'the left school at 18s'. Are they really turned on to politics for the first time ever by Jeremy Corbyn? I have very, very strong doubts.
One of my grandchildren, and a 'soon to be’ granddaughter-in-law teach what I still call VI formers. Thoise who can vote will, apparently, vote Labour. And the area in which they live is Tory .And it’s not JC that turns them on, appaerently, but the problems of housing, paying for Uni, and the (effective) cuts in education and health.
Anecdote, tiny sample etc I know, I know.
Mrs Fox off to work, voting on the way.
Still undecided between Lab and LD. Feels sorry for Diane Abbott, thinks the social media bullying of her horrible.
My certainty level is low, and I think it quite possible that the Con seats could be 40 less. There is a palpable half heartedness about the Tories. The farmers fields that are usually full of posters are bare.
The sheep have already voted?
The change in the mood of the Tories was remarkable. Being a Tory canvasser can't be the most enjoyable of activities, yet the Tories I know were, for the first few weeks, absolutely loving it. Then everything changed.
The big story of the campaign is May's personal loss of aura and mojo. Her limitations have been fully revealed. The team we're sending into bat for us in the Brexit talks is weak, ill-prepared and in possession of no strategic advantages. That's a huge worry.
And the opposite for Corbyn: unless Labour are trounced, his star is ascendant. He'll have seen off his detractors within the party. Again.
It's something of a tragedy that only a Tory landslide will make Labour electable again. When Corbyn's MPs voted overwhelmingly to get rid of him it had nothing to do with consorting with terrorists or harbouring anti-semites or being too left wing. It was because he had not the first idea how to be a leader of a major party.
This election might have shown himto be a reasonable populist but it went nowhere towards showing he could lead a party. His equivocation on the EU and appointments like Diane Abbott and Long Bailey have cost Labour literally dozens of seats.
Presumably something similar is also going on with Survation?
You'd have to think that if turnout for GE2017 isn't up significantly (probably over 70%,) then the youth surge will have failed to materialise and that would be a good early indicator that the more Labour-leaning pollsters are wrong.
And beyond that, what if there is a rise in turnout - but it consists disproportionately of people who stayed at home in 2015, but were motivated to vote Leave last year, and have now decided to back Mrs May to deliver Brexit?
Voting commences in about 45 minutes, less than 16 hours to the Exit Poll. Tick, tock...
Anecdote alert. I’ve never seen my 20-something grandchildren so fired up to vote. It’s not their first election, either.
And it’s for Labour! Oh, and they voted Remain!
As I've mentioned before it's not the children and grandchildren of PB members that Labour need the vote of. It's the 'don't care about politics' or 'the left school at 18s'. Are they really turned on to politics for the first time ever by Jeremy Corbyn? I have very, very strong doubts.
One of my grandchildren, and a 'soon to be’ granddaughter-in-law teach what I still call VI formers. Thoise who can vote will, apparently, vote Labour. And the area in which they live is Tory .And it’s not JC that turns them on, appaerently, but the problems of housing, paying for Uni, and the (effective) cuts in education and health.
Anecdote, tiny sample etc I know, I know.
Corbyn talks about issues that concern young people. May doesn't.
+1.
Though I do feel that no one has really truly spoken to young people who haven't gone to uni (approx 50%). The tuition fees issue only addresses young people who do go to uni. When I was at uni I found most people there were already politically engaged and voting. I think those young people that aren't are those that haven't gone to uni.
Comments
https://twitter.com/DJack_Journo/status/872621685576433665
Well done to ICM and Survation. You might both be wrong and the answer lies somewhere in the middle but you were both brave enough to stick by your guns.
The less said about the YouGov "model", the better.
In all seriousness, here is my prediction
C 365
L 201
LD 13
SNP 49
O 22
Tory majority 78
C 345
L 223
LD 14
O 21
SNP 47
Good times...
http://www2.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2015/05/07/your-sortable-searchable-pb-guide-to-labours-top-80-con-targets-in-england-and-wales
As everyone else is making predictions I shall join in
Cons 337
Lab 241
LD 6
SNP 45
NI 18
Pc 2
Green 1
Almost status quo ante bellum, 2 months of article 50 time wasted for very little gain.
Anyway, I made the right choice that day, shame many others didn't.
Most importantly, tell everyone to vote, this democracy thing is important!
A calm day so far.
Con Majority now 1.18 on Betfair (cue hundreds of comments about NOM being 1.12 at this point in 2015!) and Spreadex mid point now up to 370 Con seats.
https://www.betfair.com/exchange/politics/event/28051210/market?marketId=1.119040708
https://www.spreadex.com/sports/mobile/page/spr/573773/1/2335564
L 215
LD 11
S 47
O 22
Qatar Airways are massively inconvenienced, they're losing all the Gulf regional traffic and as you say are having to make some epic diversions to get anywhere to the south. Was supposed to be flying with them DXB>DOH>LHR in a couple of weeks but have had to rebook on another airline.
https://mobile.twitter.com/flightradar24/status/871912194253889536
The more interesting stuff begins on 9th June. This election has seen perceptions of May change markedly. That will have longer term consequences, both here in the UK and for the Brexit negotiations.
On topic: Survation certainly have piled all their chips on Red for this one. As well as being the only BPC pollster showing a virtual tie, their final Scotland-only poll has Lab 3% ahead of Con.
If Survation are close to the right result and we're into Hung Parliament territory, then they're not only picking up something really important that most of the others aren't, but also the result will run contrary to the mood music coming from most of the focus groups, canvassing returns, and the patterns of the two leaders' campaign visits as well.
Moreover, a result of approximately 40 Con:40 Lab would require an enormous surge from young and non-voters; the majority of Ukip defectors to cross to Lab, not Con; a significant net direct flow of voters from Con to Lab; or, most likely, a combination of the first factor with one of the other two. It just smells terrible.
At the other end of the spectrum, BMG - with a landslide-inducing 13% Tory lead - are, apparently, Labour's house pollster for this election. Something's gotta give...
UKGE .. Sampling 7am-10pm - Size 31,023,731 ..
That post did leave me thinking that something may up. But I am still thinking how can Corbyn win/Labour be the largest party in a hung parliament/Con minority with 65+ going so heavily for Con, Kippers going so heavily for Con, and inevitable losses in the Midlands and the North (like you say) for Labour?
So we'll see what happens, but I'd be shocked if it isn't Con majority.
Presumably something similar is also going on with Survation?
You'd have to think that if turnout for GE2017 isn't up significantly (probably over 70%,) then the youth surge will have failed to materialise and that would be a good early indicator that the more Labour-leaning pollsters are wrong.
And beyond that, what if there is a rise in turnout - but it consists disproportionately of people who stayed at home in 2015, but were motivated to vote Leave last year, and have now decided to back Mrs May to deliver Brexit?
Voting commences in about 45 minutes, less than 16 hours to the Exit Poll. Tick, tock...
Con 362
Lab 215
LD 11
SNP 40
My certainty level is low, and I think it quite possible that the Con seats could be 40 less. There is a palpable half heartedness about the Tories. The farmers fields that are usually full of posters are bare.
Think of it this way, it's about as likely as cutting a pack of cards and not getting a spade.
However let's take Herder's Con 325 figure and briefly examine it. Take the Con base point and add a few not unreasonable gains in Scotalnd. So 335. This means in England and Wales Con will overall lose 10 seats. Does that seem in anyway a viable prospect.
No.
The change in the mood of the Tories was remarkable. Being a Tory canvasser can't be the most enjoyable of activities, yet the Tories I know were, for the first few weeks, absolutely loving it. Then everything changed.
We just don't know.
Lib Dems, I think, will do a little better than expected.
Also: word of warning. If seats are to be swinging wildly all over the place tonight, I'd expect the exit poll to perhaps be a little less accurate than usual, possibly with both Con/Lab seats predictions having an error of +/- 20 seats.
That's where Crosby/Messina (should) make the difference, on the Tory upside.
https://twitter.com/itvnews/status/872017947585380352
1. More (probably significantly more) 2015 voters will cross directly from Con to Lab than from Lab to Con
2. There will be an enormous spike in turnout amongst voters in the 18-30 age range, *and* virtually all of them will back Labour
3. Conversely, older voters will abstain in historically unprecedented numbers
4. Either Ukip will miraculously fail to collapse or, if it does, most of its ex-voters will back Labour rather than the Conservatives
5. Related to 4, there will be no differential swing across the country, merely a uniform surge in the Labour vote (and, by extension, the vast bulk of non-polling opinion such as from canvass returns and focus groups, which shows Labour struggling in most of England outside of inner London and a few other metropolitan cores, will be shown to be totally invalid.)
6. The remnants of the Liberal Democrat vote have, amazingly, become so powerfully concentrated geographically that they make a successful defence of all their Tory-facing seats, *and* recover a substantial fraction of their 2015 losses
It's the sort of thing that, if you really want to keep Corbyn away from the levers of power, your inner chimp might have a panic attack about. But logically, I don't see how there's any meaningful probability of a Hung Parliament coming to pass under today's circumstances. You might just as well worry about dying from being struck by a stray meteorite: this would both be theoretically possible and self-evidently a catastrophe, but how many of us stop to fret over it?
And it’s for Labour!
Oh, and they voted Remain!
There does seem to be more agreement in the modellers:
Electoral Calculus Con 361
Britain ELects Con 357
Hanratty Con 371
She has managed to embarrass at least 60% of our finest pollsters
Although there are indeed plenty of reasons to be doubtful about the Tories, it is hard to see what would lead to last minute desertions by people who, if the polls are right, have been loyal so far? Concerns about Brexit haven't coloured the election at all, and the only last minute question is the police numbers debate, which I don't think has the traction.
Oh and I worry about stray meteorites all the time but mainly when Horizon does a programme about the Kuiper belt!
I remember how Ashcroft's marginal polls were so disastrously wrong last time - that's why I'm not rushing to hold up his forecast as the total gospel.
The irony is, is that YouGov's polling model is probably the future of the polling industry, but they've made themselves look so silly in this GE no matter the result, especially with that methodology change last night!
C 355 (44%)
Lab 225 (36%)
SNP 45
Other GB 7
NI 18
I think the chances of a Tory lead of 10+ tonight are good. That is only a modest swing from 2015 but the same trends we saw then (Labour doing well in the larger cities, not so much elsewhere) seem exacerbated this time and that may well cost them.
In years to come people will be asking
"Where were you when you first read David's post......"
As a rough estimate, if an extra million younger people turnout at this time *and* they all voted Labour, it would be worth about a 3% boost to Labour's final share. Clearly the fewer additional youngsters bother, and the more of them vote Conservative (NB another possible source of Shy Tories - for how many young people would voting Conservative be a source of social shame and/or abuse?), the more marginal the effect becomes.
Quote from the BBC. ‘Several pupils from a school in Canvey Island have scored highly in a Mensa Genius Test.”
In the high 150’s; one at least 160 plus.
Con 42%, 370 seats
Lab 34%, 203 seats
SNP 4%, 42 seats
LD 11%, 12 seats
UKIP, 3%, 0 seats
Green 2%, 0 seats
PC, 3 seats
Keeping my inner Labour Government catastrophe chimp under control for these last several weeks has been rather difficult. The end of this campaign, provided that it results in any kind of working Conservative majority, will be an enormous relief.
Con 387
Lab 178
SNP 48
LD 13
PC 4
Green 1
plus Mr Speaker and the NI contingent.
Back this evening at some point...
For Labour it's a classic impasse. Corbyn the campaigner has been vindicated on the campaign trail, saving them from utter disaster, with Corbyn's radicalism making him the 'change' candidate in a way that Owen Smith would never have achieved. Yet his detractors will argue that Labour wouldn't have started so low in the polls without him, will see Labour losing seats in opposition as obvious bad rather than good news, and wonder whether under someone else the arrogant complacent shambles that has been May's campaign might have been beaten?
Anecdote, tiny sample etc I know, I know.
Con 43.00
Lab 36.50
LD 7.60
UKIP 4.30
Tory Lead 6.50
For me this youth increase is mostly noise created by those who voted in 2015 and those 14-17 year olds who cannot vote. 18-24 WON'T top 60%, I just don't see any evidence that it is engaging the youth as much as the EU ref beyond a couple of very questionable polls.
Never seen that before, but then again I've never voted at this polling station so early.
Still undecided between Lab and LD. Feels sorry for Diane Abbott, thinks the social media bullying of her horrible.
What ever your political persuasion good luck (even if I may wish a miserable fate on your national party!)
Polling stations have opened.
This election might have shown himto be a reasonable populist but it went nowhere towards showing he could lead a party. His equivocation on the EU and appointments like Diane Abbott and Long Bailey have cost Labour literally dozens of seats.
Though I do feel that no one has really truly spoken to young people who haven't gone to uni (approx 50%). The tuition fees issue only addresses young people who do go to uni. When I was at uni I found most people there were already politically engaged and voting. I think those young people that aren't are those that haven't gone to uni.