Political Communication in Britain: Campaigning, Media and Polling in the 2019 General Election

Description

Political Communication in Britain offers unique insights from various members of the party, media, and polling organizations that contested, reported, and analysed the 2019 British General Election, as well as leading academic experts who have researched the campaign. Following an essay by Sir John Curtice exploring how the critical issue of Brexit influenced the election, the opening part of this volume features insiders discussing their respective parties’ operations, including their successes and disappointments. This section also includes expert examinations of Boris Johnson’s ‘oven ready deal’ as well as the digital advertising and controversial public relations efforts that helped promote it. The middle part of the book considers the media, with chapters from the BBC, Sky News, and regulator Ofcom, along with analyses of the pro-Conservative press, digital-only plat[1]forms, and the more left-leaning alternative news sites. The closing section of the volume turns to public attitudes, with experts, including leading pollsters, exploring how these contributed to the Conservatives’ victory. Dedicated chapters also place opinion research in broader context through examining the historical role of the exit poll, and the changing reception and reporting of polls both online and in print. Political Communication in Britain provides readers with an indispensable guide to the 2019 General Election from several of those most intimately involved in the campaign. Titles in This Series Preface Contents Notes on Contributors List of Figures List of Tables 1 Background to the Campaign: From Confidence and Supply to the Oven-Ready Deal The Long Shadow of Brexit All Change? The Parties’ Prospects Overview of the Book References 2 A Brexit Election? Introduction Attitudes Towards Brexit Volatility The Campaign The Outcome Why the Difference? Conclusion References Part I Campaigning 3 Reaching the Right People: The Conservatives 4 No Time for Real Change: Labour 5 ‘Time to Choose Our Future’: The SNP Background Our Message How We Won the Campaign Leadership The Result and What It Means 6 An Alternative Voice: The Liberal Democrats 2019—Before the Campaign Pre-war Skirmishes: The Autumn of 2019 The Starting Gun The Brexit Party The TV Leaders’ Debates The Ground War The Air War The Importance of a Core Message Post Script: The Election Outcome, Fallout and Where Next 7 “Me and Brexit, or Nothing”: A French Perspective on Boris Johnson’s Victory 8 ‘Water Dripping on a Stone’: Topham Guerin and the Tory Digital Strategy Introduction The Digi Kiwis: Shitposting, Love Actually and Other Boomer-Memes Getting Brexit Done: The YouTube and Google Dimensions Facebook: More Output, Less Cost Attack by Disinformation? The Influence of ‘Non-Party’ Campaigners Conclusion References 9 “Strategic Lying”: Or How the Conservatives Dominated the Campaign News Agenda Introduction Lying Spin ‘n Lies Strategic Lying The Strategic Lie in Action: The 2019 UK General Election Conclusion References Part II Media 10 Knocking Copy: How the National Press Covered the Campaign Introduction Partisans in Print Press Matters Anti-Semitism and Anti-Corbyn Conclusion References 11 Reporting the Digital Campaign: Online News Coverage of the 2019 UK General Election by BuzzFeed and The Huffington Post Introduction Election News Reporting Digital Campaigning Strategies Reporting on Politicians’ Social Media Conclusion References 12 The Role of Alternative Online Political Media in the 2019 General Election British Alternative Media Prior to the 2019 General Election How Alternative Media Engaged with the Campaign Conclusion: The Aftermath References 13 Consternation Bias: Debates, TV Inquisitions and Impartiality in a Changing Electoral Era References 14 Path to Power: The Brexit Election Identifying Paths to a Majority Paths to Break the Brexit Deadlock Campaign Coverage: Voters, Data and Brexit The View from Brexit-Voting Towns The Remain Battleground Labour’s Problems: Corbyn and Brexit Diverging Nations: Scotland and Northern Ireland “The Brexit Election” Concludes 15 Of Empty Chairs and Ice Sculptures: Regulating Broadcasting During the 2019 General Election—The Ofcom Perspective Introduction What Is Ofcom’s Role in Elections? Political Advertising Party Election Broadcasts (PEBs) Editorial Coverage of Elections How Do Broadcasters Make PEB Allocations and Editorial Decisions During Elections? PEBs General Editorial Coverage Editorial Coverage of Candidates Taking Part in Constituency Reports and Discussions How Does Ofcom Regulate the BBC? What Programmes Did Ofcom Have to Consider During the 2019 Campaign? Leaders’ Debates Labelling of Election Programming BBC Complaints Empty-Chairing What Happened with PEBs in 2019? What of the Future? References Part III Polling 16 Understanding the Vote and the Voters: Ipsos MORI’s Polling in 2019 The Leaders and Their Parties The Issues The TV Debates How Much Did the Voters Care? References 17 The Other Election ‘Winners’: Polling and the Pollsters References 18 Social Media and the UK General Election 2019 Brexit Out in Front Interest in the Campaign Engagement with the Issues Engagement with Boris Johnson 2017 in the Rear-View Mirror Reference 19 Exit Polling: A Brief History Development of Exit Polling Exit Poll Methodology—The Theory Exit Poll Methodology—The Practice References 20 From Media to Social Media: Opinion Polling in the Current Context 21 Is the Conservative Lead Growing? Is a Hung Parliament Possible? What Can We Believe? How a Partisan Press Reported the Polls Introduction The Conservative Lead: Big Enough? Cheerleading, or Cautioning Against Complacency? Intensity of the Poll Coverage in the Quality Press and in the Tabloids Reading Scoreboards, Shifting Emphases Conservative Grounds for Hope, Labour Grounds for Fear Conservatives Ahead A Growing Gap A Winning Lead The Polls Are Right Labour Grounds for Hope, Conservative Grounds for Fear The Conservative Lead Shrinking A Hung Parliament Possible Polls Are Unreliable Conclusion Appendix References Index