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Tortoise Media

Britain’s top polling expert, Professor 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 make sure you don't miss an episode.

﻿To find out more about Tortoise:

Download the Tortoise app for a listening experience curated by our journalists.

Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content.

Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more.

If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trendy

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.

Welcome to Trendy

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.

Liz Truss returns and why young people want lower taxes

Why is Rishi Sunak giving the go ahead to drill the UK’s biggest untapped oil field in the North Sea and rowing back on net zero commitments? And as the main parties hold their annual conferences, who belongs to a political party these days and what impact do the members have on our politics?

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.

Drill baby drill: rowing back on net zero targets

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.

Why Labour’s poll lead might not be as strong as you think and what do Scottish voters want?

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.

University: who goes, who pays and does it change us?

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.

Why the Brexit referendum wasn't all David Cameron's fault

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.

Overcrowded prisons: does the punishment fit the crime?

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.

Immigration: have we taken back control?

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.

Can the King’s Speech dig the Conservatives out of the poll doldrums?

Britain spends nearly £50 billion a year on defence. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there were renewed calls for an increase to defence spending. Would voters support this? Rachel Wolf and John Curtice discuss how voters view the armed forces and the changing nature of Remembrance in Britain. 

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.

War and peace: do we want to spend more money on defence?

Polls suggest both US president Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak face an uphill battle to win votes in upcoming national elections. John Curtice and Rachel Wolf are joined by US polling expert, Professor Christopher Carman to discuss whether Biden and Sunak could be defeated for the same reasons? 

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.

Could Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak face defeat at the ballot box next year for the same reasons?

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