Today sees the big vote by our British Parliamentarians on introducing a law to allow for assisted dying taking place. There have been strong views espoused in both directions from the politicians, oftentimes transcedning party lines. Curious coalitions have formed, not least the the one between Diane Abbot and Edward Leigh who penned a joint … Continue reading Most Britons favour legalising assisted dying, irrespective of political affiliation
Tag: Politics
Creating a granular “votes cast” dataset for the last century’s worth of UK General Elections
Earlier this year the UK had a General Election, which, in many quarters, was declared a landslide victory for Labour. Certainly we have - thank goodness - a new government, and the switch towards Labour in terms of the number of seats (and hence MPs) was dramatic. But there remains an ongoing debate as to … Continue reading Creating a granular “votes cast” dataset for the last century’s worth of UK General Elections
Today’s young Britons really seem to dislike the Conservative party
Following the surprise, albeit much needed, announcement of a UK general election, I've not been able to resist hoovering up any and all available data on the political dynamics of the situation. In terms of voting intentions, it's a vastly different situation to any seen within the last quarter of a century or so. Labour … Continue reading Today’s young Britons really seem to dislike the Conservative party
Does protesting work?
There's been a lot of news about political protests recently in the UK, and some rather unsavoury efforts by the government to stop particular instances of them happening. Outside of the UK recent years have seen some very high profile such protests. 2020 saw the Black Lives Matter related protests after the killing of George … Continue reading Does protesting work?
Is British gas and oil really 4x as good for the environment as imported fuel?
The British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, recently declared that he's going to enable a huge expansion of North Sea gas and oil extraction. There is a lot to criticise about this plan to say the least. But here I will endeavor to restrict myself to digging into one of his more surprising claims about this … Continue reading Is British gas and oil really 4x as good for the environment as imported fuel?
The Great Resignation of British Ministers
Last week was a pretty dramatic week for UK politics. On Tuesday, Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid, the UK's chancellor and health secretary respectively, resigned from their cabinet posts within minutes of each other, citing the incompetency and impossibility of working with Prime Minister Boris Johnson as their motivation. Over the next couple of days, … Continue reading The Great Resignation of British Ministers
Are you (statistically) smarter than a politican?
Time to test yourself! Give the below three questions a go, before proceeding 1. If you toss a fair coin twice, what is the probability of getting two heads? 2. Suppose you roll a 6-sided die. The rolls are: 1, 3, 4, 1, and 6. What is the mean value? 3. And what is the mode value? 4. Suppose there was a diagnostic test for a virus. The false-positive rate (the proportion of people without the virus who get a positive result) is one in 1,000. You have taken the test and tested positive. What is the probability that you have the virus?
What people claim to believe: Hillary Clinton edition
Back to political opinion polls today I'm afraid. Yep, the UK's Brexit is all done and dusted (haha) but now our overseas friends seem to be facing what might be an even more unlikely choice in the grand US presidential election 2016. Luckily, the pollsters are on hand to guide us through the inner minds and … Continue reading What people claim to believe: Hillary Clinton edition
Is the EU referendum actually a great conspiracy?
(Sorry to anyone bored by the great/hideous Brexit referendum - this is the last post on the topic, well, at least until the event actually happens 🙂 ) Today is the day! All us UK citizens can cast our direct-democracy vote as to whether the UK should remain in the EU, or say goodbye. It's been a long, torrid, at times revolting, … Continue reading Is the EU referendum actually a great conspiracy?
Brexit: Which newspapers support Leave and which Remain?
Being a glutton for punishment, another Brexit question struck me. Which newspapers are formally standing in the Leave camp, and which in the Remain? This question might strike you as beyond obvious based on the typical political outlook they adhere to and the output of their columnists - but it turns out it's not as straightforward as I … Continue reading Brexit: Which newspapers support Leave and which Remain?
Dabbling with Data 