ALDC's by-election report - 13 November 2026Six principal authority by-elections took place across England on Thursday 12th November. Labour were defending three seats (Croft Baker in North East Lincolnshire, Cheddleton in Staffordshire Moorlands, and Huncoat in Hyndburn), Independents defended two seats (Hindley Green in Wigan and Failsworth West in Oldham), and Reform UK defended one seat (Bosmere in Suffolk). On paper, it looked like a productive night for Reform UK with three gains against one loss to the Conservatives. Beneath the headlines, however, Reform's vote share fell in five of the six contests—including four double-digit drops. Labour continued its northern recovery, gaining a seat in Wigan, ... (more) |
Latest voting intention and leadership ratings opinion pollsWelcome to my summary of the latest national voting intention polls for the next general election, along with the latest MRP projections and party leadership ratings. If you'd like to find out more about how polls work, how reliable they are and how to make sense of them, check out my book, Polling UnPacked: the History, Uses and Abuses of Political Opinion Polls, or sign up for my weekly email, The Week in Polls: General election voting intention polls PollsterConLabLDGrnRefLab leadFieldwork Find Out Now 21% (nc) 27% (-1) 9% (+1) 12% (-1) 21% (+1) 6% (vs C/R) 11-12/11 GB Survation ... (more) |
A magnificent Norman AbbeyMargam Abbey was a Cistercian monastery, located in the village of Margam, a suburb of modern Port Talbot in Wales. The nave of the abbey church is still in use as the church of St Mary in the Church in Wales. Wikipedia records that the abbey was founded in 1147 as a daughter house of Clairvaux by Robert, Earl of Gloucester, and was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. They say that early Christian crosses found in the close vicinity and conserved in the nearby Margam Stones Museum suggest the existence of an earlier Celtic monastic community: The abbey was ... (more) |
A 14-year-old Mick Jagger demonstrates rock climbing on televisionHow come Mick Jagger can still strut his stuff on stage even though he's in his eighties? Part of it is his fitness regime, a "combination of gym sessions, dancing, running, swimming, cycling, kickboxing, yoga and Pilates". And part must be an active youth. Mick's father, Basil Joe Jagger, was a PE teacher and gymnast who helped popularise basketball in Britain. You can see a 14-year-old Mick and his dad in the video above, which is taken from a 1959 edition of the ATV children's programme Seeing Sport. (more) |
PrisonsA few weeks ago I caught the third episode of the third series of Jimmy McGovern's drama "Time" on BBCTV. I was so moved by it that I have now watched the earlier episodes and the first two series on BBC I-player. They can all be found here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p09fs2qh/time Each episodes is filled with countless upsetting incidents which illustrate that the worst effect of being in prison is not the loss of liberty but the constant, constant, fear of abuse or assault from other prisoners. I highlight just one incident from each of the series which particularly struck me. In ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1606"The world's biggest climate conference kicked off today in Antalya, Turkey, a country known for growing political repression. Under an unusual compromise, Turkey is hosting, but Australia's government will preside over negotiations among more than 190 nations seeking to address the climate crisis. And for the third year in a row, one problem underscores all the others: Why can't anyone say 'fossil fuels'?" Rachel Santarsiero reports from COP31. Mic Wright takes aim at Jonathan Ross: "None of this is to say that Ross is responsible for Brand's crimes or knew about the truth behind his performance nor that he carries ... (more) |
Why Kierkegaard should be the official philosopher of Scotland supportersMy grasp of the academic discipline of philosophy is rudimentary at best, it all being too abstract for my literal mind. But being a Scotland supporter at rugby, football and indeed other sports teaches me to be philosophical. This year more than ever. It started with comment about whether this might be the year for the Scottish men's rugby team to challenge for a Six Nations title. Yet the prospects were seriously dented at the outset on a rainy February day in Rome and killed off a few weeks later in Dublin. Then we had the men's football team's first ... (more) |
Reflections on the Hungarian ElectionWe often struggle to comprehend issues beyond saying we can only do X and can't do Y. This isn't just struggles about what policy we talk about, but a whole series of issues, being more Left or Right, defending held seats to building more. We forget that we have many, many facets, and that they can get bigger if we think bigger; becoming that big tent, being a movement, being a complicated, growing party. But in April 2026, the Hungarians successfully proved that you can in fact have your campaign cake and eat it, under much harsher, first-past-the-post-on-steroids conditions, with ... (more) |
Summer drought means no jump meetings at Ludlow this winterEmbed from Getty ImagesIn a development that will bring the reality of the climate crisis home to a certain kind of Tory, Ludlow race course has been forced to cancel its entire winter National Hunt programme because of last summer's drought. BBC News explains: The issue has been trying to replace dead grass and encourage new growth on approximately 25 per cent of the quick-draining, gravel-based track. But, although the rain did return in September, there has not been enough to help stimulate sufficient grass growth as the days have shortened. The course's almost unique capacity to drain well enough ... (more) |
Labour makes by-election gain in PM's own constituencySix principal authority council by-elections this week, with the results including Restore's best election showing so far in any election outside Great Yarmouth: Huncoat (Hyndburn) Council By-Election Result: [IMG: 🌹] LAB: 34.4% (+10.5) [IMG: âž¡] RFM: 29.8% (-19.4) [IMG: ⬛] RES: 27.8% (New) [IMG: 🌳] CON: 8.0% (-2.4)No GRN (-16.5) as previous.Labour HOLD.Changes w/ 2026. — Election Maps UK (@electionmaps.uk) 2026-11-12T23:25:01.977Z This Labour gain took place in the Prime Minister's constituency. The Lib Dem was David Burley – thank you. The Liberal Democrats did also pick up a new councillor this week. For what all this means for the running ... (more) |