Tim Montgomerie writes:
This morning, a group of political insiders from all over Westminster will be getting emails from myself and Martin Bright, Political Editor of the New Statesman, asking them to be part of a new daily opinion survey. I can't tell you everything about it yet, but with invitations going out rumours might start flying... and I wanted you to know about it first.
As part of a new enterprise backed by Stephan Shakespeare we are setting up a 100-strong panel of top Westminster insiders – MPs, journalists, think tank leaders, political staffers, columnists – who will answer, anonymously, a couple of key tick-in-the-box questions every day. It will be called the PHI100 (after the PoliticsHomeIndex, a new website on which the results will be published every afternoon).
For the first time, it will be possible to put a number on the "inside track" on issues of the day: Is there any truth to that rumour in the paper this morning? Will Michael Martin survive? Who won PMQs?
Some questions will also be tracker questions, which are asked regularly and which can be plotted over time: Who will win the mayoral contest? Which cabinet ministers/ news sources/ columnists do insiders rate most highly?
Broadly speaking, I am recruiting people on the right and Martin is responsible for people on the left, but we are both talking to a good number of non-aligned insiders - the 100 will represent all political angles. The response has been fantastic. The column on the right identifies a few of the names who have already agreed to take part (many other members of the PHI100 are only taking part on the condition of anonymity). We are also recruiting some people at the heart of the LibDems.
We expect to have first daily findings in a couple of weeks, just in time for the BETA launch of the PoliticsHomeIndex website. Will keep you posted. In the mean time, comments and suggestions for the kind of questions you would like to see asked are welcome…
Oh goody - more "bubble-speak". Just what we needed.
Posted by: Richard North | February 28, 2008 at 10:01
Richard: The Index will at least measure "bubble-speak" in a more transparent way.
There'll be other aspects of the new website that - I hope - you'll be more sympathetic to...
Posted by: Editor | February 28, 2008 at 10:08
I'm surprised with your definition of non-aligned. Julia Hobsbawn is after all the former business partner of Mrs Gordon Brown, to say nothng of her family history.
Posted by: Anonymous Eurocrat | February 28, 2008 at 10:32
Ditto Peter Riddell – whose journalism indicates coolness to Cameron and sympathy for Brown. Conservativehome’s definition of non-aligned?
Posted by: Bill Brinsmead | February 28, 2008 at 11:10
Oh excellent. Another authoratative poll for the pres to use alongside the current poll of the 'grassroots'. Joy unbounded.
Posted by: David | February 28, 2008 at 11:44
At least 4 of the 5 "non aligned insiders" are either Blairites, SDP retreads or overt Lefties.
Posted by: London Tory | February 28, 2008 at 12:43
Richard: The Index will at least measure "bubble-speak" in a more transparent way.
There'll be other aspects of the new website that - I hope - you'll be more sympathetic to...
Posted by: Editor | February 28, 2008 at 10:08
Transparent "bubble-speak"! Love it!
Posted by: Richard North | February 28, 2008 at 16:19
Peter Riddell is a cheer-leader for New Labour and has never, to my memory, written anything that wasn't anti Tory in his "briefing" column.
Posted by: Graeme Archer | February 29, 2008 at 13:13