This is ridiculous

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I remember having similar feelings during the 2010 General Election. Of course I also remember thinking - though only after taking the trouble to go through the Nuffield studies for 1974, 1983 and 1987 - that the madness was probably partly the result of incompetence on behalf of the polling companies, and so it proved.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

That was a fun time. In the end the election result wasn't too different from where things stood at the start of the campaign. We are used to 'look I'm on the telly!' conference bounces that screw October polling, cause the sky to fall in and then things settle by the end of the season.

And, of course, 1974, 1983 and 1987 all saw Centre surges that probably didn't actually happen. Which makes me think: what's the usual pattern for post-debate polls in the U.S? Given that usual patterns are usual for a reason.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

That expression always reminds me of the coat of arms of the former Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch: