Mini-blogs covering public opinion and a mix of topics — strikes, the Budget, politics, immigration, globalisation and housing Stricken Britain We’ve been living with strikes for a while now. While public opinion is often presented in the media as being pro- or anti- strike action, the reality is much more nuanced and…

An update on the state of public opinion on the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine About a year ago, tens of thousands of Russian troops moved into Ukraine from the north, east and south. Russia’s invasion was the first large-scale war of aggression in Europe since the Second World…

Public opinion and the NHS Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson credited the NHS with saving his life during 2020 and described it as “powered by love”. This phrase could equally apply to public opinion which has been steadfastly affectionate towards the country’s “greatest national asset” (another Johnson aphorism); the NHS…

It is an iconic, arresting image. A crowned giant dominates the landscape, clutching a sword and a crosier. His torso and arms are made up of over 300 humans. …

Britain is currently paying France to patrol its beaches and prevent migrants setting off across the English Channel. The idea is to prevent a re-occurrence of what happened on October 29th and 30th when, respectively, 990 and 468 people boarded dinghies to make the journey from mainland Europe. It was…

Soon after taking office, Jeremy Hunt talked about the need to make decisions of “eye-watering difficulty”. Let’s add jaw-dropping to eye-watering — the last few weeks has seen a plethora of statistics about the plight of Britain’s mortgage holders following the mini-budget. According to an Ipsos survey in late October…

One of the major mistakes made by the Truss Government was the decision to over-turn the convention of publishing the OBR’s economic forecasts alongside the mini-budget. This was widely criticised as being reckless, and an un-costed “dash for growth”. In 2020, during the pandemic, an Ipsos poll found the public…

Six features of British public opinion on economic growth The markets got spooked last week, apparently nervous about the mini-budget and vexed by the absence of OBR assurance that the figures add up. …

For as long as I can remember, I have associated Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II with my grandmother. I’m sure I’m not alone but, for me, there are particularly special parallels. Like Her Majesty — called ‘grannie’ by Princes William and Harry and their children — my grandmother, ‘Gran’…