The second annual PoliticsHome superpoll of the marginals is out today, based on YouGov interviews with 33,610 people. They polled everyone, it seems. They certainly polled me - did they poll you?The methodology seems pretty sound. Anthony Wells grouped seats with similar characteristics - London commuter belt, Southwest Liberal/Con marginals etc - and got a representative sample in each group to extrapolate from. Much more plausible than the old Scottish sub-sample game.
The results (full document, 2.6Mb pdf) are easy to spin as good news and bad news for the three largest Westminster parties, especially given last year's numbers as an alternative comparator.
Labour are out of government on these numbers, obviously, but down to 199 instead of the ultra-dire 160 seats predicted last year. "It's heading our way", they say, although Tom Harris certainly isn't kidding himself. The Liberals are down 8 to 55, but last year it was worse for them too, when the same poll predicted they'd keep just 44 MPs.
Conversely, the headline figure that puts Dave C into power is a Tory majority of 70, which I think he'd take, but last year they predicted a landslide 146 lead. There are pages and pages of English Con/Lab marginals shown here turning blue, places Labour never reached before Blairism, and places always likely to revert to type. Cumbria's about the only group to buck the trend.
Other parties' results are less equivocal. Last year the SNP leadership was jubilant about numbers showing vast swathes of Scotland going their way, but this year just 3 Nat gains are predicted. I'm personally sceptical about this, but you can imagine the long woad-painted faces of the cybernats as they contemplate page 29.
The best has been saved for last. Brighton Pavilion is part of a group of seaside town seats including Morecambe, Great Yarmouth and and the Blackpool constituencies. In the 2005 election 8% of people voted for parties outside the big three. Last year's poll had this number at 11%, and this year it's a staggering 19%.
The report says: "This is mainly benefiting the Green Party who on these figures would win their first Parliamentary seat in Brighton Pavilion."
I do hope so. Another near miss (as per several seats in the Euros) would be heartbreaking. Also, I note they didn't cover either of our English friends' other targets, Lewisham and Norwich South. That makes them better bets with the bookies, I reckon, Norwich South in particular.
(politicalbetting.com thread here)
The map does make one think on Carry On.
Sid James: "Can I have a magnifying glass?"
Miss Lucas: "Why sir?"
Sid James: "All the better to see you seat miss. Haw ha ha."
I see my shock win in Huddersfield has passed them by!
Interesting having it ripped out of us by a Liberal Democrat about our sense of proportion!
I have observed their dubious graphs in Focus with interest over the years. They frequently inflate their own chances in an attempt to mislead themselves into some sort of power. Sometimes it actually works.The triumph of technique over substance.
Playing the politics game, sometimes winning but never really knowing why they are doing it. Oppose airport expansion, support it. Support renewable technology oppose a windfarm.
There are some good people in the Lib Dems but as a vehicle for radical change they are somewhat limited by their dubious electoral techniques and policy inconsistencies. So get your magnifying glass out and study hard. Hopefully the Greens will win in Brighton Pavillion and it will mean a lot more than any number of Lib Dem wins because of the way we got there.