Are the polls twisting this election? | The Today Podcast

Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson are joined by the legendary psephologist Prof Sir John Curtice. They discuss whether opinion polls are dominating the election campaign and tactics for staying up all night for election broadcasting.
Do you have a question for Nick and Amol? Send us a message or a voice note on WhatsApp to [phone] or email [e-mail]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe and 🔔 to BBC Sounds KZbin: kzbin.info?s...
Listen to the full episode here: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00...
Find more episodes of The Today Podcast here: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0...
The Today Podcast playlist: • The Today Podcast
Fresh on BBC Sounds playlist: • Fresh on BBC Sounds
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#GeneralElection2024 #SirJohnCurtice #TheTodayPodcast
Are the polls twisting this election? | The Today Podcast
We are BBC Sounds. The home of binge-worthy podcasts, music curated by music lovers and live radio.

[@tonyt7948]

I feel a brexit moment coming

[@shaun906]

i do, i think labour are going to lose. they have lots of support but the powers that be have decided labour are just not tory enough!

[@davidnettleton7084]

Opinion polls are unnecessary. The Exit Poll at 10pm next Thursday is worth watching but every vote will have been cast by then. I vote by post. There are 8 candidates in the place where I live. It's a secret ballot since the passing of the Ballot Act in 1872. My motto is 'Don't Tell him, Pike'. Only I know how and why I marked my ballot paper. Hoping to stay awake until the early hours of Friday morning

[@user-hj4ug2yq5x]

I agree the exit poll at 10pm will be the one to watch if it gives Labour its super marjourity I expect I be off to bed but if its closer say less than 70 it will be worth staying up for

[@Gramsci]

@@user-hj4ug2yq5x "Super Majority" is a made up term by the Tory press that has no relationship to how the British Parliament works.

[@shaun906]

shy tory?

[@shaun906]

@@user-hj4ug2yq5x there's no such thing as a supermajority? that's America, as it means they can make amendments to the constitution.

[@decimal1815]

@@shaun906 or Reformer.. ;)

[@stevebell6057]

Hopefully once Labour is in power - the BBC will feel free to give Mr Robinson (and LK) the well deserved boot

[@shaun906]

you'll be lucky if its a hung parliament, as a labour supporter I'm watching this election in horror. the Tories have made sure if we don't want them they will engineer a victory. very sad state of affairs!

[@lovepeaceandrespect8808]

​@@shaun906so your voting labour, does the hotels full of migrants bother you

[@user-hj4ug2yq5x]

We should be like in France 2 days before thd election or even the week before NO MORE OPINION POLLS

[@ScruffyTubbles]

I thought it was much longer than 2 days tbh

[@Gramsci]

In some countries alcohol sales are banned on election day... probably not a bad idea here ;-)

[@skhuksle]

French here. You don't wanna be us.

[@kanedNunable]

and stop the newspapers being able to print numerous lies. TV is stopped but newspapers not. hmmm.

[@JelMain]

Of course they are, by persistently ignoring the complete disaffection many feel, persisting in the binary Party model.

[@decimal1815]

be careful what you wish for.. you might end up with populist-fascists instead

[@benmayhew2K]

As long as the Tories out it's ok.

[@chrisoneill3999]

Sir John Curtice - an academic - thinks the Conservatives are in trouble because of their actions while in Government. Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson - journalists - wish voters would pay more attention to what the media are telling them. I think I'll stay with the expert, thankyou.

[@Gramsci]

Robinson was President of the Oxford University Conservative Association...

[@stephfoxwell4620]

Rajan is a third rate gabbler at best

[@davesandall4530]

2 Conservative client journalists soiling themselves.. Nothing to see here.....

[@troglodytestroglodytes220]

Just because Robinson was President of the Oxford University Conservative Association and President do Conservative Party Youth doesn’t make him a Conservative 😊

[@simongardner3766]

No spoilers this time. That Exit poll is always right.

[@agedhippy2407]

The opinion polls havent had any influence at all, they have just reflected how weak the Conservative support is at this election. 14 years of austerity has had the influence, reinforced by the chaos in this parliament of a prime minister who would have been suspended for lying to parliament and another PM who crashed the economy with a mini budget. Lastly, an election campaign littered with disasters has meant the support for the tories has even weakened further.

[@juanitoingles9853]

It's a shame that for something broadcast on BBC sounds there couldn't be more balance, instead of having two raging Tories as presenters. Still at least good old John Curtice is as close as you get to fairness and objectivity.

[@chrisoneill3999]

With the BBC's current line-up it would be difficult for them to find presenters without a clear political leaning, and nearly impossible to find a left-winger. So balance really isn't a BBC thing, and hasn't been for some time.

[@shaun906]

were being run by the private school clowns, adding vat on private schools has really upset the elites, who run most things.

[@silondon9010]

The BBC stitched up Nigel Farage with that Audience

[@decimal1815]

Or.. he stitched himself up by not having joined-up policies. The half-baked "kick 'em out" rhetoric is pretty easy to tear down. Like Trump's Wall.

[@markwalker2627]

What is with the MSM and their disbelief that the Tories are going to get hammered..?

[@decimal1815]

I really like the mix of Today presenters now. Nice balance of personalities, but also an air of civility that is a pleasant antedote to all the SHOUTY STUFF elsewhere.

[@mikeb7379]

No one, absolutely no one, I'm the mainstream media seems to want to talk about tactical voting? With which accurate polls are vital to achieve any desired outcome. Or consider that the Tories may very well end up not the major opposition part as a result?

[@lovepeaceandrespect8808]

I hope for Britain that reform win, and UK public ignore media

[@spacebound1522]

You must REALLY dislike Britain then, to wish that awful scenario upon it!

[@DaleHanson-nw9yc]

Labour

[@keithperkin-vb8hv]

If the local elections are anything to go by then the polls could be wrong in so far as there are a lot of independent candidates standing against Labour and this along with the reform vote could have a big impact! Also I predict a low turnout and I also predict the libdems will win over 60seats!

[@UKsoldier45]

Something strange is going on with the polls. I have not met anyone at all who is not voting Reform.

[@pipoo1]

Going out on a limb here... You are white, over 50 and live on a former council estate?

[@kevinjohnson3782]

I don't know anyone that is voting reform!

[@troglodytestroglodytes220]

@@kevinjohnson3782lucky you.

[@kevinjohnson3782]

@@troglodytestroglodytes220 I know right! Unfortunately there are a lot of tories in my area.

[@drasticplasticaustin]

There will likely be a reasonable voter turnout which I'm not convinced is a good thing as it's a thumbs up for a poorer standard of politics. We're buying what is broken.

[@bobwalker7531]

Vote Conservative. I will be voting for my local Conservative candidate who has helped many constituents in the area. A vote for any other party will mean a Labour government. Do you realy want more tax. I like many conservatives are not happy with the past few years, but we need to put that behind us and vote Conservative. Polls may be wrong again.

[@spacebound1522]

More tax? You're kidding right? 14 years of austerity, lies, deceit, more lies, trussonomics, a few more, lies, the PPE scandal, lies, the lurch to the right that would even make Nick Griffin and the BNP seem centrist, some more lies, crushing fall in living standards, lies, trying to make being homeless a crime, and we're STILL in more debt than when they took power! You can't pin any of that on Labour - and I'm no fan of Starmer.

[@lovepeaceandrespect8808]

vote reform

[@johnnicolson467]

Nick the liar Robinson doing what he always does.

[@Rob-uv8bu]

State broadcaster more rubbish. This come out tv tax ? Glad I don't pay it

[@user-hj4ug2yq5x]

They got it wrong in 1992 they got it wrong in 2010 also in 2015 and 2017 so let's hope they get it wrong again

[@nickburnley214]

Not with the leads they have now, if labour didn’t get in this time questions would need to asked about the polling and rigging and manipulation of such..

[@Idk-ys7rt]

Not by a 10% swing, also many polls have 95% confidence within their margins.

[@OrangeUtan1]

No lets hope they got it right. Zero seats for the tories.

[@user-hj4ug2yq5x]

We need a good opposition party to hold this terrible labour party to account , plus to take over in 2029 when people realise again the mess the country is in, like in 2010 ,1979 ,1970 and 1951

[@Idk-ys7rt]

@@user-hj4ug2yq5x What about the mess Labour has inherited?

[@jandavies4400]

It’s also got something to do with how the whole of parliament labour and conservatives dismissed 17.4 million people and called them all racist reform UK are gonna do a lot better than you imagine

[@MarkCroucherRC4fun]

Delusional

[@jandavies4400]

@@MarkCroucherRC4fun that you are delusional

[@geraldbutler5484]

No they won’t.

[@cliffrightmove1527]

@@MarkCroucherRC4funthe only one with delusions is you ,I would love to see your face on the 5th of July ,mind you TROSKY might be in power but Reform Will be up there with votes but due to the corrupt system not so many M.P but all that will change in the future DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE TRUE BRITS which I very much doubt you are 🥵

[@jandavies4400]

@@geraldbutler5484 wait and see