In the fourth episode of Season Three of the Data Malarkey podcast, host Sam Knowles engages in an insightful dialogue with Lord Andrew Cooper, President and Senior Advisor at Yonder Consulting. With a distinguished career spanning political strategy and market research, Lord Cooper offers a nuanced perspective on how Brexit has fundamentally altered the structure of British politics.
A journey through politics and data
Lord Cooper’s foray into the political arena began with his tenure as Director of Strategy to Prime Minister David Cameron during the coalition government. His expertise in research and polling, honed through founding the market research company Populus over two decades ago, has been instrumental in reshaping polling methodologies, particularly following the 2015 UK General Election. His elevation to the House of Lords as Lord Cooper of Windrush reflects his significant contributions to political strategy and data analysis.
The decision to become politically non-affiliated
Despite his extensive involvement with the Conservative Party, Lord Cooper now serves as a politically non-affiliated member of the House of Lords. This transition was a deliberate response to the party’s increasingly hardline stance post-2016 EU Referendum, effectively transforming into what he describes as the “de facto Brexit Party.” This shift prompted his conscious decision to distance himself from partisan affiliations, underscoring his commitment to objective analysis over political allegiance.
The Clockface model: Decoding political attitudes
Central to the discussion is Lord Cooper’s development of the Clockface model, a geodemographic tool designed to elucidate political intentions and behaviours. By integrating diverse data sources – including census information, historical polling data, and psychological archetypes from the BBC Great Personality Test – the model maps attitudes along two critical dimensions: security and diversity. This framework offers a lens through which to understand the polarisation evident in contemporary politics, attributing it to reactions against globalisation and its multifaceted impacts.
Cultural touchstones and political alignment
An intriguing application of the Clockface model is its ability to correlate cultural preferences with political leanings. For instance, the television programme Love Island emerges as a unifying cultural phenomenon, resonating across the political spectrum, irrespective of one’s stance on Brexit. In contrast, shows like Peep Show and Black Mirror find favour predominantly within Remain-supporting demographics, while Mrs Brown’s Boys aligns more closely with Leave supporters. These cultural touchstones serve as proxies for deeper societal values and divisions, offering a unique perspective on the interplay between entertainment preferences and political identities.
The Brexit campaign: A strategic analysis
Lord Cooper provides a critical examination of the strategies employed during the Brexit campaign, particularly the efficacy of the Leave campaign’s messaging. He highlights the “£350 million a week to the NHS” claim as a masterstroke in framing, effectively setting a trap that the Remain campaign struggled to counter. The absence of a compelling, positive narrative from the Remain side, coupled with the Leave campaign’s adept use of emotive and straightforward messaging, underscores the importance of strategic communication in political campaigns.
Conclusion
This episode offers a comprehensive exploration of the seismic shifts in British politics precipitated by Brexit. Lord Andrew Cooper’s insights, grounded in extensive experience and data-driven analysis, illuminate the complexities of political realignment and societal division in the post-Brexit era. The conversation underscores the necessity of nuanced understanding and strategic communication in navigating the transformed political landscape of the United Kingdom.
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