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Polling the marginals

As diligent students of British politics understand, most votes under our first past the post system make no real difference to the result of a general election. The ones that count are those cast by swing voters in marginal constituencies. The Conservatives have been confident in their assertions that, despite a narrowing gap in nationwide opinion surveys, their lead among these defining voters in the marginals is big enough to make the crucial difference. A carefully targeted poll in this morning's Times suggests their confidence may be misplaced.      

Tuesday, March 9, 2010 - 10:39

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Reports by students from the Centre for Journalism

  • Crick: political journalists failed on MPs' expenses

    Newsnight's political editor Michael Crick has admitted that political journalists failed the British public by not being more aware of MPs' expenses before the scandal broke. Giving a masterclass to Centre for Journalism staff and students, Crick said he was concerned that the case might be symptomatic of failings in other areas of journalism too. "In the pursuit of personality-driven journalism perhaps we are overlooking some of the bigger stories," he said. "I think it is a failing of journalists that the collapse of the economy came as such a surprise to us. In the same way I think it's a failing of political journalists that all this expenses stuff has come as such a surprise to so many people, including us."

  • Centre for Journalism welcomes BJTC panel

    The Centre for Journalism today welcomes an accreditation panel from the Broadcast Journalism Training Council. Steve Harris from the BJTC, Robin Elias, managing editor of ITV News, and Nick Myers, editorial training manager of ITV News, will spend the day talking to students and staff at the centre, examining the facilities and looking at students' work.

  • Sky Bob Friend Lecture slideshow

    Pictures from the inaugural Sky Bob Friend Memorial Lecture, Monday February 9 2009. Click on any image to view as a slideshow. Pictures by Rebecca Hughes and Mylo Wilkin.

    Alan McGuinness receives the Bob Friend Memorial Scholarship from head of Sky News John Ryley

  • Polar opposites

    Whilst Britons are enjoying days off frolicking in the snow, our Australian counterparts are suffering in the oppressive heat. Although the weather down under has eased off in the past couple of days, the country has seen its longest heat wave since records began. Areas such as Melbourne in the South-East, normally known for their rapidly changing cooler weather, have been particularly badly hit with temperatures of over forty degrees centigrade during the last week.

  • McGuinness named as Sky News Bob Friend Memorial Scholar

    Alan McGuinness has been named as the first recipient of the Sky News Bob Friend Memorial Scholarship. He will formally receive the award from head of Sky News John Ryley on February 9 at the inaugural Sky Bob Friend Memorial lecture in the Pilkinton Building. 

  • Woolies suffers the wrath of the recession

    With the administrators now sorting out the books, and the fear that this Christmas may be its last, Mylo Willkin conjures up fond memories of Woolworths.

  • Dehydration levels double in the elderly

    The number of people being admitted to hospital due to dehydration has more than doubled over the last year, according to figures published by the NHS.

  • Recession in Medway

    Christmas isn’t going to be easy this year. The shoppers may still be thronging the High Street, but their presence belies a tightening of belts taking place across the country.

  • Recession Hits the High Street

    Recession seems to have arrived in Gillingham High Street on this chilly autumn morning, with a number of shops boarded up and an overall feeling of disheartenment hovering over the shoppers and passers-by.

  • Recession Begins to Bite Hard in Medway

    The first frosts of winter are beginning to bite in the dockside towns of Gillingham and Chatham – and so is the looming recession. Figures out last week confirmed that the UK economy experienced its first quarter of negative economic growth for 16 years. But even closer to home, unemployment has risen to nearly 4,000 in the Medway area and shoppers are beginning to feel the pinch in the run up to Christmas.

  • Gallagher slams X Factor's Danni

    Just in case you haven't seen today...

    Oasis rocker Noel Gallagher has launched a scathing attack on X Factor judge Danni Minogue, delcaring: "she wouldn't know talent if it kicked her up the a***."

  • Hamilton responds to scrutiny

    Lewis Hamilton has responded to criticism about his driving style by saying: "I'm only human and every now and then people make mistakes."

  • US unveils $250bn banking rescue

    George W Bush has announced on behalf of the US government a $250bn (£143bn) plan to purchase stakes in numerous US banks.

    After yesterday's (Monday) injection of £37bn of taxpayers money into British banks by Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling, President Bush has followed suit, declaring: "This is an essential short term measure to ensure the viability of America's banking system."

  • Fires, Flying Roofs and Windburned roses

    A very British look at the weather on the anniversary of the Great Storm of 1987

    By Students at the Centre for Journalism

    ‘It was one of the busiest police nights of the decade,' recalls Nigel Newbury, police sergeant working in Land's End on the night of the Great Storm. ‘The phone didn't stop ringing all night.' Nigel Newbury, now retired, says the most memorable part of the night was, ‘when a telegraph pole came down and set fire to a manor house that had been converted into flats.'

  • Girls on film? No, dogs and sheep

    Not only has Britain's own Shaun The Sheep been nominated for an International Emmy award, but Leonardo Di Caprio has seen dogs on film outperform him.

  • Student Debt Serious Concern For Most Students

    A survey conducted by Journalism students at the Medway Campus yesterday shows that more than half of the students interviewed are worried about their financial situation.

  • Room for Improvement at Medway - Survey

    Almost half of students surveyed thought the University's nightlife was bad, but that didn't stop three first-year students from being arrested outside the Medway campus on Monday night - for charging into bollards.

  • Guide to using this site's content management system

    Quick guide to using this site's content management system.

  • About this site

    This site has been created using Drupal by Ian Reeves as a live publishing environment for the students and staff of the Centre for Journalism, one of the University of Kent's newest departments.

    NCTJaccreditedIts first cohort of undergraduates enrolled in September 2008 and its teaching staff include Prof. Tim Luckhurst, Ian Reeves, Sarah Lonsdale, Richard Pendry and Dr Suzanne Franks.

  • Slideshow: how the newsroom was built

    Watch a slideshow of the how the Centre for Journalism newsroom took shape.

  • Centre for Journalism welcomes its first students

    The Centre for Journalism today opened its doors to its first group of students. The 21 students will begin their BA Honours degree in journalism next week, but dropped in to the newsroom this morning to informally meet their teaching staff for the first time. 

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