Ballot to Talk About

This week's special extended episode takes a look at this year's Indian State elections across Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and takes a wider look at the state of the two big Indian parties. It also includes a review of the recent Mark Drakeford and Nicola Sturgeon cabinet reshuffles, as well as the changing of leadership in Northern Ireland's Unionist parties as Arlene Foster prepares to leave her role as First Minister.

As Narendra Modi enters his seventh year as India's Prime Minister and Covid-19 rages on throughout the nation, this month saw the results of this year's state elections and a mixed bag of results for the two largest alliances. Sam and Chern take a detailed look at the results across the five states and territories and then discuss the changing fortunes of the INC and BJP in recent years, as Modi starts to look ahead to the 2024 General Election. Why is Kerala such a fruitful state for Communist parties? Was West Bengal a disappointment for the Modi government and a sign of a small opposition revival? Did Covid have an impact on these results for incumbent governments just as the situation was beginning to worsen? All these questions, and more, answered in this week's podcast.

In this slightly extended final of a three-part series on the 2021 UK local and regional election results, Sam and Chern take a closer look at the results across England, as the Conservatives continued their assault on the former Red Wall, and romped to victory in the Hartlepool by-election. This episode also takes a look at the aftermath of the state election results in Tasmania in Australia, and the recent by-election result in Upper Hunter which ensured that Gladys Berejiklian retained parity in her New South Wales Assembly.

After gaining over 200 Councillors and 13 Councils, Boris Johnson's Conservative Party is riding high, and the Red Wall continues to crumble. Sam and Chern look at these results in closer detail and talk about what this could mean for British politics going forward, and the ongoing efforts of Sir Keir Starmer to revive the struggling Labour Party. Why was the margin of victory in Hartlepool so wide, and what could this mean for Labour fortunes in surrounding constituencies whenever the next election arrives? Was this evidence of a vaccine boost for the Johnson government, or is it a longer term trend? What went wrong for the Labour Party, and why did Sadiq Khan underperform versus expectations? It was also a good night for the Green Party across England - do they have realistic aspirations to surplant the Liberal Democrats as the UK's third party? All these questions and more answered in this week's episode.

In the second of a three-part series on the 2021 UK local and regional election results, this episode takes a closer look at the Scottish Parliament results, as the SNP fell just one seat short of a second majority. This episode also takes a look at the removal of Liz Cheney as the House Republican Conference Chair, and what this says about the state of the US Republican Party in the post-Trump age.

Nicola Sturgeon will continue as First Minister after leading her Scottish National Party to 64 seats in the 129 seat Parliament, extending the SNP’s 14 years in power. Sam and Chern look at these results in closer detail and talk about what this could mean for Scottish politics going forward, and the battle for independence. The Conservatives have retained the primary opposition spot equalling their best ever Holyrood performance, but did they have realistic expectations of improving that position? Will the SNP be disappointed with this result? What is the impact of this election on the battle to be granted another independence referendum? Scottish Labour lost seats for the sixth successive time – why did Anas Sarwar’s positive approval ratings not translate into a better performance? All these questions and more answered in this week's episode.

This week’s episode looks back on the year 2021 in politics, discussing contenders for the latest prestigious Ballot Talk Awards. After a year of dramatic and consequential elections, Sam and Chern look back at key moments, key figures and key themes that defined the political year and make their picks for the most notable. Which election was the most consequential this year? What result took us most by surprise? Who was the most disappointing politician of the year? And who are the nominees for the biggest award – politician of the year?

The episode also takes a deeper dive into one of the biggest political themes of the year – Covid-19. Few would have guessed this time last year that we would be on the verge of further national lockdowns around the world, but the ongoing pandemic has continued to define political careers and elections. Did the impact of the pandemic evolve, and did it affect different regions in unique ways? Will it continue to dominate electoral cycles into 2022, or will it take on a different role? Is the era of buoyed crisis-managing incumbents officially over? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

In the first of a three part series on the 2021 UK local and regional election results this epsiode takes a closer look at the races across Wales, as Labour equals their best ever performance in the Senedd. This episode also reviews the national election results in Albania, where Edi Rama led his party to a third consecutive majority, and last week's regional results in Madrid, where Isabel Diaz Ayuso doubled her Peoples Party's seat count.

As counting completed on Wale's Senedd election, Mark Drakeford looks set to continue as First Minister after leading his Labour Party to 30 seats in the 60 seat Parliament. Sam and Chern look at these results in closer detail, and talk about what this could mean for Welsh politics going forward. The Conservatives have reclaimed the primary opposition spot with their best ever Senedd performance, but was this an underperformance relative to their 2019 General Election result in Wales? Will Mark Drakeford reach out to Jane Dodds (the Liberal Democrats' sole MS) or decide to go it alone in minority? Why did Plaid Cymru do badly relative to their own expectations? Are there lessons to be learnt for Keir Starmer on how to lead the Labour Party? All these questions and more answered in this week's episode.

In the third and final edition of a three part series previewing the 2021 UK local and regional elections, this epsiode takes a closer look at the races across Scotland, with a focus on the race to control the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood. This episode also reviews the results of this week's Tasmanian state elections in Australia as Peter Gutwein has likely led his Liberal Party to a third succesive majority Government. It also looks at the resignation of Arlene Foster as Northern Ireland's First Minister, and what this change might mean for the future of the DUP and the Northern Ireland governing arrangement more generally.

Covid-19 may be keeping most things under lockdown, but the 2021 UK local and regional election campaign is underway with just four days to go. Scotland will be seeing elections for the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, with Nicola Sturgeon's SNP hoping to gain the two seats they need to reclaim a Holyrood majority Government. Sam and Chern take a look at the state of the race and the aspirations for the three main parties (SNP, Conservatives and Labour), discussing the potential implications for the Union. Will Nicola Sturgeon get the majority Government she craves to be able to increase pressure on Westminster to grant another independence referendum? Will Anas Sarwar or Douglas Ross win out in the competition to lead their parties to second place in this close-run campaign? Will Scottish voters vote tactically to maximise seat counts across the constituency and regional lists? Will the recent scandals around Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings in Westminster have any impact on the willingness of Scottish voters to vote Conservative in this cycle north of the border? All these questions and more answered in this week's episode.

In the second of a three part series on the 2021 UK local and regional elections, this epsiode takes a closer look at the races across Wales, with a focus on the race to control the Senedd. This episode also previews next week's Tasmanian state elections in Australia, and in the week where two of the top contenders to succeed Angela Merkel as Chancellor of Germany were announced, it takes a look at how these choices might affect the race. Annalena Baerbock will lead the Green ticket, hoping to become the youngest Chancellor ever, and the new CDU leader Armin Laschet will lead the charge for the centre-right, edging out Markus Söder who was seen as the potential frontrunner for the job.

Covid-19 may be keeping most things under lockdown, but the 2021 UK local and regional election campaign is underway with just under two weeks to go. Wales will be seeing elections for the 60 seats in the Welsh Parliament, with Labour hoping to form the Senedd's first ever single-party majority Government. Sam and Chern take a look at the state of the race and the aspirations for the three main parties (Labour, Conservatives and Plaid Cymru), discussing what the most likely Government outcomes might be after this unusual Covid-19 campaign. Is Mark Drakeford's high approval rating helping to boost the Labour Party's appeal? Why have the Conservative hopes of taking control of this Parliament faded in the last year? Are Labour in trouble in the Northern rural parts of Wales, and are Plaid Cymru a legitimate threat in the Valleys? What is the most likely eventual Government after the dust settles on this cycle? All these questions and more answered in this week's episode.

In the first of a three part series on the 2021 UK local and regional elections, this epsiode takes a closer look at the races across England, with a special preview for the parliamentary by-election in Hartlepool. In a week where Guillermo Lasso upset the Correa-backed candidate in Andres Arauz in Ecuador, and Pedro Castillo suprised pundits by topping the polls in Peru, it also includes a review of the presidential elections in Peru and Ecuador, with a few comments on what this might mean for South American politics in general. 

Covid-19 may be keeping most things under lockdown, but the 2021 UK local and regional election campaign is underway with just under three weeks to go. England will be seeing elections for seats on 145 Councils and for 13 directly-elected mayors, including the Mayor of London. Sam and Chern take a look at the state of some particular mayoral and council races, as well as discussing the Hartlepool by-election and what results here might tell us about the state of the UK political system more generally. To what extent will these local elections be fought on local issues? How will Keir Starmer fair in his first electoral cycle as Labour leader? Will Boris Johnson and the Conservatives see a vaccine boost? Will the 2019 General Election trends continue and Red Wall Councils become vulnerable for incumbent Labour administrations? All these questions and more answered in this podcast.

As the UK gears up for the local and regional elections series, this week's episode takes a special look at the one area of the UK not holding elections this cycle - Northern Ireland. It also includes a a review of last week's Bulgarian elections as Boyko Borissov looks to fight for his role as Prime Minister to continue, and it looks at the Biden Cabinet confirmation process, discussing why with the exception of Neera Tanden's position, it was relatively seamless.

Just over one year on from the restoration of power-sharing in Northern Ireland, Sam and Chern take a look this week at the state of politics in the six counties, and the state of the parties that operate there. Amidst a rise in unionist-nationalist tension, this week's episode discusses what makes the region so turblent even 23 years on from the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, and how the party system has transformed as a result of this. Why did Arlene Foster's DUP overtake the UUP as the main unionist party, just as Sinn Fein did to the SDLP on the nationalist side? How much room does a non-sectarian party like Alliance have to grow into? Has the change in leadership from Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness to Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O'Neill helped Sinn Fein grow as a force in Northern Ireland and the Republic? All these questions and more answered in this week's episode.