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February 2024 – Global elections recap

Read a summary of the key elections that occurred in February 2024 - including in Indonesia, Pakistan, the USA, and events in Senegal.

What’s next for Speaker Hoyle?

Sir Lindsay Hoyle's long week has turned into a survival for his speakership where those he has championed on the parliamentary backbenches will determine his political fate.

January 2024 – Global elections recap

Read a summary of the key elections that occurred in January 2024 - at the start of a year where over 2 billion people will vote in more than 60 countries.

What to expect at the Conservative Party Conference

The Conservative Conference will be an opportune time for the Government to showcase their successes to a sceptical electoral, however, in many areas they are adopting a risky strategy that could turf the party back into electoral wilderness.
Elvert Barnes PRESIDENTAL ELECTION 2020 docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/Election2020

Tried, tested, pale and stale – Republicans and Democrats pause the chance for a fresh future

The 2024 presidential election looks set to be fought by a 78 year old, scandal-plagued former president, and an octogenarian whose mental capacity seems in doubt by those within his party - why are both parties passing on the chance to embrace the future?

The scrapping of nutrient neutrality – the Government’s move to unlock development

Has the Government just unlocked the capacity for mass housebuilding, or has it signed the death knell of its environmental obligations?

The AI tightrope – squaring misinformation with creative freedom

How can governments walk the tightrope of AI regulation - and is too much of its misinformation-spreading capabilities unchecked?
Is populism getting more popular: Crowd of Trump supporters marching on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021

The increasingly popular unpopularity of populism

Donald Trump led Ron DeSantis by just 2% in early 2023. Now, four indictments later, he leads by 37%. Why do populist candidates increase their popularity when embroiled in scandal? Perhaps it is due to perceptions of an 'establishment' stitch-up.

The Government’s new housing strategy: Wicked problems require radical solutions

Summer may offer some respite for the Government, but they have built themselves up with ambitious housing targets. These have been received with mixed reactions, but the overarching theme is one of cautious optimism.
Via Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pip_the_dog_at_a_polling_station.jpg#/media/File:Pip_the_dog_at_a_polling_station.jpg

What just happened in Selby, Uxbridge, and Somerton?

With each party having cause to celebrate after this string of by-elections, we analyse what was happening in each constituency and what significance these results have as eyes begin to set on the 2024 general election campaign.

A spiral of decline – is the SNP reeling from self-inflicted damage?

Following criminal investigations, a divisive leadership campaign, and polls pointing to big losses at the next election, where, if anywhere can the SNP go from here?

Kazakhstan – the canary in the coalmine of Putin’s global decline?

Putin may have suppressed a rebellion at home in June following the Wagner mutiny, but abroad his support looks more fragile than ever - particularly amongst historical allies.

How do I get selected as a Conservative candidate for a parliamentary seat?

The next general election campaign has been underway arguably for a year already. Catalysed by the demise of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and spurred on by seven months of government instability that now seems to be rearing its head once more, it makes sense that the Conservatives and Labour are racing to select candidates for their top target seats.

An alternative history: What if Remain had won in 2016?

It is hard to remember another contest in Britain’s past that had been so open. There were no safe seats, no obvious regional blocks of support, no places that could be taken for granted, no matter what the polling showed beforehand. It was a hard fought campaign, on unfamiliar ground, and with no clear lines of engagement - but, nevertheless, the 2016 Brexit referendum vote was held, and it was decisive.
Images used: David Sedlecký, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

What would a new Johnson-Farage party bring to British politics?

Since Boris Johnson's resignation as an MP, Nigel Farage has been making noises about a new deal with the former Prime Minister. Is this really on the cards? If so, what success will such an arrangement yield?
images via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EPP_Zagreb_Congress_in_Croatia,_20-21_November_2019_(49099767006).jpg, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alexis_Tsipras_%CE%91%CE%BB%CE%AD%CE%BE%CE%B7%CF%82_%CE%A4%CF%83%CE%AF%CF%80%CF%81%CE%B1%CF%82_1.JPG, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nikos_Androulakis_PASOK.jpg

In Greece, ‘strong and stable’ is the winning message

With Greece facing two general elections in the space of 35 days, many wonder why this has happened, whilst some may see similarities closer to home.
Rwendland, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

College Green Group poll watch: Issue voting and Starmer’s… surge?

In a week of arrests and resignations, quieter figures paint an encouraging picture for Labour, whilst Brits give their say on the issues.
Olaf Kosinsky, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE , via Wikimedia Commons

Alternative für Deutschland and the Greens: Lessons from the German extremes

There is plenty of shared ideology between the left-wing Greens and far-right Alternative für Deutschland. What lessons can UK Conservatives learn from this dynamic?

Populism: pernicious, or praiseworthy?

Populist leaders in Hungary, Israel and Türkiye defeated opposition electoral alliances. Contrary to the liberal consensus, cobbled-together coalitions are doomed to fail. Voters crave authenticity. Time for pragmatism to die and ideology to rise?

College Green Group poll watch: Silver linings for Sunak, but not for ScotNats

You could be forgiven for thinking that the next general election had already been determined. Starmer’s Labour has been ahead of Sunak’s Conservatives for the last 17 months, and the recent local elections have been described for the latter as a “nightmare” and “disastrous”. However, the Conservative Party has injected cautious optimism into its narrative as its fortunes have gradually improved in the polls, whittling the Labour lead down from around 27% in January to 14%, according to the most recent Techne poll.