It was great to have Survation's Damian Lyons Lowe on Never Mind The Bar Charts, fresh off the back of his firm's success in polling the Hartlepool by-election. As well as talking about how he got into political polling and what to watch out for when a surprising poll appears, we discussed whether everyone is just paying too much attention to political polls. Does it really matter what they are currently saying? Listen to find out...

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• Yes, it is fun watching people do Sudoku: Cracking The Cryptic's YouTube channel.

• Follow the show on Twitter.

With the a new edition of 101 Ways To Win An Election out, I chatted with co-author Ed Maxfield for the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts. Roaming across Black Lives Matter, William Wilberforce, Matt Hancock, how the music industry is changing and one of the worst answers given in a political debate, we talked about political campaigning, our favourite chapters from our own book and other books we'd recommend.

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• Get the new edition of 101 Ways To Win An Election.

• Follow the show on Twitter.

* This list includes affiliate links which generate a commission for each sale made.

Lib Dems love by-elections. Lib Dems love winning by-elections. And Lib Dems love getting excited after by-elections.

So to help us all calibrate our levels of excitement after Sarah Green’s victory in Chesham and Amersham, it’s great to welcome back to Never Mind The Bar Charts, Paula Surridge, senior lecturer at Bristol University and an expert in how values are driving political choices in modern Britain.

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• Lib Dem Newswire edition looking at the lessons from Chesham and Amersham.

• Follow the show on Twitter.

* This list includes affiliate links which generate a commission for each sale made.

The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts is another special live show with the Lib Dem Pod team. This time we looked at proportional representation with Lib Dem Parliamentarians Wendy Chamberlain and Paul Tyler.

Why is proportional representation (PR) a good thing? Does it matter which version of PR is used? What's the route to securing it for more elections in the UK? How much should the party talk about it? Find out the answers to all these and more in the show.

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• Liberal Democrat Newswire #148 also looked at the route to securing more electoral reform.

• Follow the show on Twitter.

We all know about the love Liberal Democrats have of delivering leaflets. So our dream professor of politics would be one who specialises in studying leaflets. Which is why I’m delighted to say that is just who I was speaking to for the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts, Professor Caitlin Milazzo of Nottingham University.

We talked about how political leaflets are changing, the impact they have, how political campaigning isn't getting more negative and the evidence that female candidates are more likely than male candidates to make an important mistake with their election literature. Listen on to find out more, including how to avoid that mistake yourself...

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• The Open Elections project.

• Follow the show on Twitter.

After the special joint edition with the Lib Dem Pod looking at cross-party cooperation, it’s back to the normal format this time – and welcome back to Duncan Brack for one of our historical dives into a former party leader.

After having discussed Jo Grimond and David Steel, this time we’re headed into the 19th century with Lord John Russell. He served in government for at least part of every decade from the 1830s through to the 1860s, with two spells as Prime Minister, 13 years apart. 

What should we make of his political career?

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• Lord John Russell biography on the gov.uk website.

• Follow the show on Twitter.

* This list includes affiliate links which generate a commission for each sale made.

Never Mind The Bar Charts and the most excellent Lib Dem Pod teamed up for another joint show, taking a look this time at lessons in coalitions and cross-party cooperation.

We have an excellent panel to discuss it all:

• Kirsty Williams the brilliant Liberal Democrat Minister of Education in the Welsh Government and member of the Senedd since 1999

This was our first attempt at a joint live show, so feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• Duncan Brack's book chapter on cross-party cooperation.

• Follow the show on Twitter.

One of the most popular episodes last year was with Rob Ford, discussing Brexitland, the book he’s co-written that takes a look and the long-term social and demographic changes driving British politics.

So I’m delighted this time to welcome to the show his co-author, Professor Maria Sobolewska, to discuss further their book and its implications for British politics.

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• Last year's popular episode with Maria's co-author, Rob Ford: Culture wars, Brexit and electoral reform.

• Follow the show on Twitter.

* This list includes affiliate links which generate a commission for each sale made.

In this episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts, I talk with the Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson, Munira Wilson, about what it's like being an MP, how over-centralisation may be hindering the struggle against coronavirus and how best to communicate with the public.

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• Interview with Dr Ben Johnson from Nature.

• Follow the show on Twitter.

Welcome to the first episode in 2021 of Never Mind The Bar Charts. As regular listeners may have guessed given the timing, for this year I’m going to revert to monthly shows after last year’s near-weekly shows.

Let’s call this then season three, and for the season opener I’m so pleased to have an absolute A-lister when it comes to how politics works in the UK, Professor Meg Russell of the Constitution Unit.

A special adviser to Robin Cook when he was Leader of the House of Commons, Meg played a key role in the Wright Committee which led to a wave of Parliamentary procedural reform.

We talked about a new report she has co-authored, taking a look at how to improve the way Parliament works.

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

• Taking Back Control: Why the House of Commons Should Govern its Own Time.

• Follow the show on Twitter.

* This list includes affiliate links which generate a commission for each sale made.