The King’s Speech had 21 pieces of legislation including  proposals for toughening sentencing laws, a gradual ban on selling cigarettes and annual licences for oil and gas exploration in the North Sea. But will any of it matter? John Curtice and Rachel Wolf discuss whether it will help the Conservatives to narrow the gap with Labour who have enjoyed a 20 point poll lead for more than a year.   The must-listen show about key trends and forces shaping public opinion with Sir John Curtice and Rachel Wolf. In this episode, for forty years the British Social Attitudes survey has provided the most comprehensive insight into who we are and what we think. Sir John Curtice and Rachel Wolf make sense of what it tells us about ourselves. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app.For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Be wary of a politician who promises to get net migration down to the tens of thousands. Several have tried in recent years, but none has succeeded. Net migration - in part thanks to one off events like the war in Ukraine and the crackdown in Hong Kong, and in spite of Brexit - is now at a record high. John Curtice and Rachel Wolf talk to Madeleine Sumption who runs the Migration Observatory at Oxford University to find out why this is the case and they explore how our attitudes toward immigration have changed over time.Trendy is the must-listen show about key trends and forces shaping public opinion with Sir John Curtice and Rachel Wolf.For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app.For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two-thirds of prisons in England and Wales are officially overcrowded. How did that happen and what do people think about punishments for criminals?Trendy is the must-listen show about key trends and forces shaping public opinion with Sir John Curtice and Rachel Wolf.For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app.For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do the numbers tell us about the UK’s past relationship with the EU; what do we think about Brexit now and is it still an issue which is driving voter intention?Trendy is the must-listen show about key trends and forces shaping public opinion with Sir John Curtice and Rachel Wolf.For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app.For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The UK has seen a huge increase in the number of young people going to university in recent years. Rachel Wolf and Sir John Curtice examine who goes, how we should pay for it and whether having more graduates has changed us as a society. John also predicts the date of the next election.Trendy is the must-listen show about key trends and forces shaping public opinion.For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app.For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Labour is enjoying a poll lead of around 17 per cent. But how strong is that lead and what do the numbers suggest when it comes to Keir Starmer’s leadership?  And how has the turmoil in the SNP following the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister earlier this year altered the electoral landscape in Scotland? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This podcast discusses Rishi Sunak's decision to drill the UK's biggest untapped oil field and reassess net zero commitments. It also explores public opinion on net zero and the cost of living crisis. The chapter addresses the decline in political party membership and the changing dynamics of party conferences and their impact on policies.

For forty years the British Social Attitudes survey has provided the most comprehensive insight into who we are and what we think. Sir John Curtice and Rachel Wolf make sense of what it tells us about ourselves. Trendy is the must-listen show about key trends and forces shaping public opinion.For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app.For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Trendy, the new weekly show from Tortoise.Britain’s top pollster, Sir John Curtice, and former Downing Street advisor, Rachel Wolf, explore the key political, social and economic trends that help shape what voters think and what politicians do.New episodes drop every Thursday.Follow the feed today to not miss an episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.