Author Archives: William Mosseri-Marlio

Opinion: A Surging UKIP: Implications for Lib Dems in 2015

By William Mosseri-Marlio | Mon 11th March 2013 - 1:59 pm

Against a less than optimal backrop, Eastleigh was a remarkable victory for the Lib Dems. And yet, the by-election was by no means unqualified success –support fell by 14 points relative to the 2010 general election result, with Mike Thornton winning in large part because the Conservative’s share dropped by a similar amount.

Of course, it was UKIP’s performance that caused such a divergence from the 2010 result. The UKIP question, then, is an important one – how will a surging centre-right party affect the electoral dynamics of the 30 or so constituencies in which the main threat to Lib Dem …

Opinion: For the Lib Dems to challenge in 2015, the party must be forcefully centrist

By William Mosseri-Marlio | Mon 1st October 2012 - 10:24 am

You’ve got to give him credit. Nick Clegg stands strong as the party leader in the face of some truly dreadful polling. He has shrugged off a leadership challenge, and remains upbeat in spite of relentless media criticism.

This resilience must, in part, come from a belief that taking the Lib Dems to the centre ground was right for the party. Going into coalition with the Tories, the leadership knew votes would be haemorrhaged to Labour. But it was the correct decision, and one that was backed by all quarters.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged nick clegg and vince cable | 66 Comments

Opinion: Grade inflation must stop, but not artificially

By William Mosseri-Marlio | Thu 30th August 2012 - 3:42 pm

For the first time in its twenty-six year history, the proportion of A*—C GCSE grades fell on Thursday. Michael Gove, who has been talking about grade inflation since the dawn of time, must have felt vindicated. A ‘cosy cartel’ of exam boards, head teachers and ministers has resulted in a seemingly inexorable upward trajectory of student performance. This year’s results, Gove’s supporters will suggest, reflect his work in dismantling this arrangement of mutual back scratching.

The UK has an issue with grade inflation. Although Britain’s position in the OECD/Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey substantially fell between 2000 and …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged gcses and michael gove | 30 Comments