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If you remember, last week's The World Tonight post-debate analysis took Ritula Shah to Reading University to talk to voters - four students, one the head of the uni's Labour Society - to get a "completely unscientific" survey of reactions to the second, with predictable anti-Tory results. Where did she go last night? She went to a working men's club in Stoke-on-Trent, which she described as a "Labour stronghold".
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She talked to four more voters (with apologies to them for having to guess the spellings of their names) - club committee member Anthony Munday, who "has been a Labour voter all (his) life", unemployed student Stephen Mulluck, small businessman Tony Wally, who has always been "a proud Labour voter", and Bill Cawley "who lives in neighbouring Leek but who is involved in local politics here in Stoke." (I looked him up. He's a Green). There was a mix of views about who performed best, but the general view (except for the Green) was that David Cameron did worst and that Gordon Brown got the best of it. Who were they going to vote for though? Well, the results were intriguing (so not a completely pointless exercise). Stephen, the unemployed student from Liverpool, said "I've always been pin-pointed on what my decision is going to be. It's got to be Labour for me." However, Mr Munday refused to say (I suspect BNP!) and Mr Wally said he was still undecided. Oddly, the Green Party councillor Mr Cawley said he was undecided too. (Is there no Green candidate in Stoke-on-Trent?)
Why didn't Ritula canvas opinion in a marginal?
Not a huge surprise, surely? I wonder if the BBC ever go to Conservative strongholds, other than to investigate accusations of racism or policy splits of course?
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