Michael Ashcroft

It’s now too late for Tories (or Labour) to change what people think about them

From our UK edition

My most recent constituency polling has found an increase in support for Labour and the Conservatives (and, in their own battlegrounds, the Liberal Democrats) while the UKIP share has drifted down since last year. Even so, neither of the main parties has established a clear overall lead, either in national polling or in the marginals. So while the evidence is that voters may be focusing more on the parties capable of forming a government, they are not finding the choice becoming any easier - or more palatable. [datawrapper chart="http://cf.datawrapper.de/PgOJF/3/"] The latest large-scale national polling I have conducted on the impact of the campaign helps explain why. Over the last month, most party ratings on most attributes have ticked up a couple of points.

Conspicuous bravery celebrated

From our UK edition

Michael Ashcroft, a devoted collector of the Victoria Cross, marks the 150th anniversary of the medal’s creation and salutes its simple beauty The concept of bravery intrigues me as much today as it did when I was a schoolboy. What is the crucial factor that makes some people more courageous than others? Is it in their genes, their upbringing or their training? Are they motivated by patriotism, religious conviction, respect for those who fight with them or simply an old-fashioned sense of duty? Is the bravery of most people premeditated or is it a spur-of-the-moment response to the heat of battle? These are the sorts of questions I started to pose when, nearly half a century ago, I was a 12-year-old boarder at Norwich School.