Mark McGeoghegan

Our latest voting intention (1-2 March 2026) has the Greens on their highest figure ever recorded by YouGov, significantly ahead of Labour, who are on their lowest figure to date

Reform UK: 23% (-1 from 22-23 Feb)
Greens: 21% (+4)
Conservatives: 16% (-2)
Labour: 16% (-2)
Lib Dems: 14% (=)

The result of Iranian actions, yes, actions in reaction to a war launched against them by the US and Israel.

I hate the Iranian regime as much as the next guy, but skyrocketing energy prices was an obvious and inevitable consequence of the United States' actions in starting this war.

Eh, SNL can be funny. It's the odd sketch, and usually because the guest is funny (Shane Gillis, recently. Louis CK was very funny on SNL).

You'd be forgiven for thinking that Tourettes simply doesn't exist in the US, based on the response to him. Except it does, including among African Americans, and it's African Americans with Tourettes that I feel worst for, frankly. As if they needed their condition invalidated by their community...

Couldn't agree more with @lewisgoodall.com & @jonsopel1.bsky.social's takes on the controversy around John Davidson's appearance at the BAFTAs on today's @thenewsagents.co.uk.

The total lack of empathy on show from some of the world's wealthiest, most privileged people is frankly disgraceful.

In terms of polls in the BBS tracker, this is the worst for both the Conservatives and Labour: their combined total of 20 projected seats is fewer than the 22 (21 accounting for boundary changes) that Labour alone won in 2021. Also on upper end of Green polling so take it with a barrel of salt.

David Cameron, 2011: “I am not a naive neocon who thinks you can drop democracy out of an aeroplane at ten thousand feet.”
Kemi Badenoch, 2026: “The only reason not to back this war without caveat is if you’re looking to get support from the Mozzies!”

We’re in one of those situations where reporting and analysis of what has happened is really useful. And where “here’s what could happen next” will get a lot of clicks but is fundamentally almost useless.

“I am the son of the guy whose secret police force used to terrorize you, please install me or my friends, for democracy” is an amazing pitch from the shah’s son

What an absolutely insane moron.

You can't square believing in a diplomatic solution, reached in the form of the JCPOA, which Trump ripped up, with now supporting his offensive against Iran.

Get a grip.

Keir Starmer: Tough on Labour Electoral Victories, Tough on the Causes of Labour Electoral Victories.

That's his "he's crap at home but impressive on the international stage" card burnt to a crisp.

Starmer's ability to find the exact sweetspot which pisses off everyone is extraordinary. He's a savant.

Choose your fighters

On the one hand, I feel seen. On the other, a lot of those wet playtimes were spent making "tanks" out of Jenga blocks and pinging Lego bricks around as "shells" so...

Also, you're not "seizing the narrative" from Reform by conceding the argument to them!

And, the economic fundamentals you need to improve to win re-election will not improve if you keep cracking down on immigration!

This (sort of) made sense when No 10 could reasonably argue that middle-class grads would have to vote for them to avoid a Reform govt, but that strategy has recently lost you by-elections to parties on your left, and is about to lose you the Senedd.

I don't think I've ever seen a party so clearly declare that they're purposefully alienating their core voters.

A party that is resolutely anti-bourgeois while being staffed and supported by the bourgeoisie is an intriguing and inevitably impossible strategy.

Anyway good luck attracting those Reform voters who hate you.

Hussein
Gaddafi
Khomenei

And on the other side, the Kims.

Don't negotiate with America, threaten them and their allies with nuclear apocalypse. It's apparently the only language they understand.

The lesson for autocrats the world over is the same: get nukes.

What's interesting about this debate is that the SNP could have played the <Scots voted majority Yes but incomers voted No> card in 2014 but simply didn't

Cook was, of course, completely right here. Staff reshuffles rarely lead to renewal. More typically they're signals to discontented party members and MPs.

Business leaders have known this for many, many decades. There's a reason why "culture eats strategy for breakfast" is a cliché...

Really unsure about this headline. The SCOOP poll found Reform up 1 point in the constituency vote and 1 point on the list, i.e. not significant change.

If anyone "surged" it was the Scottish Greens, up 3 points in the constituency vote and 6 on the list.

Keir Starmer vows to fight on despite Gorton and Denton by-election defeat to Greens The result - in a seat Labour has held for nearly 100 years - has renewed criticism of Sir Keir's leadership from Labour MPs.

He's a dead politician walking. He'll "fight on" until Labour find someone they think can do a better job or he can be sacrificed on the alter of his defeats.

This is not the 1990s.

9/11, the Afghanistan War, and the invasion of Iraq happened.

The 2008 financial crisis and Great Recession happened.

Austerity happened.

Brexit happened.

Few voters are wedded to so-called moderate politics.

Congrats Marta!

I mean they won't hit 9% nationally purely because they won't stand in enough seats, but I'll be happy if they do as well where they do stand as national polling would have suggested.