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Loaded question: opinion polls and Britain at war
Ian Sinclair speaks to LILLAH FEARNLEY about her research on the power of opinion polls on government decisions such as military intervention against Syria — and how the powerful shape this critical research
In the wake of Ann Widdecombe’s murder, JOHN GREEN wonders whether the government will really get to grips with the root cause of these attacks on our MPs
The new PM’s opening addresses offered hope, council homes and reform — but little detail on how any of it will be delivered, warns CLAUDIA WEBBE
Despite the screeching from the right-wing media, Burnham’s speech chimed with the public mood - and socialists should take advantage, says Morning Star editor BEN CHACKO
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Nature as well as society works dialectically, asserts the Marx Memorial Library and Workers’ School
IN May, Rethinking Security, a network of organisations, academics and activists working for a just and peaceful world based in Britain, published Lillah Fearnley’s major new report Thinking Inside the Box: How Opinion Polls Shape Security Debates and Policy in the UK.
An independent consultant specialising in research on conflict, peace, security and peacekeeping, Fearnley spoke to me about her key findings, including her analysis of surveys done on British intervention in Syria and her recommendations for future polling.
Why is opinion polling important to security debates and policy-making in Britain?
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Who you ask and how you ask matter, as does why you are asking — the history of opinion polls shows they are as much about creating opinions as they are about recording them, writes socialist historian KEITH FLETT