Category: Blogs

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.

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.