Polls and Poll of Polls

Have you noticed how inconsistent the polls are? Some show Labour with a lead by a point or two, then we hear about a poll showing Conservatives with a lead of up to four points.

There's a pattern behind this apparent inconsistency and it comes down to selling newspapers. Editors love a close election, people get interested, they follow developments more closely and buy more newspapers. This year there appears to be a deliberate attempt to play down a favored party's prospects of winning. The Sun, a Conservative supporting paper (in one which always likes to back the winner), has consistently been releasing polls which show the Conservatives behind. The Guardian on the other hand, a left leaning publication, has been showing polling that indicates the Conservatives has leading.

In truth it looks like nothing more than method to sell more newspapers and rally the core support ahead of the election. Nothing gets people interested more than suggesting it's on a knife edge.