Mark Pack

I am an author and have been serving as the President of the Liberal Democrats since January 2020. My published works include titles like "Polling UnPacked: The History, Uses and Abuses of Political Opinion Polls," "101 Ways To Win An Election," and "Bad News: What the Headlines Don’t Tell Us." Additionally, I host the podcast "Never Mind The Bar Charts." From 2000 to 2009, I worked with the Liberal Democrats, where I held the role of Head of Innovations and managed the party’s digital and data efforts during the 2001 and 2005 general elections. In 2015, I collaborated with David Howarth to produce an important pamphlet outlining the party’s strategy: "The 20% Strategy: Building a Core Vote for the Liberal Democrats." I also played a key role in founding and later co-editing Liberal Democrat Voice, and I currently serve as the editor of Liberal Democrat Newswire, a monthly newsletter dedicated to providing updates about the Liberal Democrats.

National

English

Blog

Outlet metrics

Domain Authority

Ranking

Global

#259824

United Kingdom

#14464

Law and Government/Government

#344

Traffic sources

Monthly visitors

Articles

The biggest prize in May’s local elections?

1 week ago | markpack.org.uk | Mark Pack

Earlier in the week I did this post for Lib Dem Voice about an important election this May:There are hundreds of important prizes at stake for us in the May local elections. Wards where we are standing our first candidate in years. Wards where winning would give us our first breakthrough in an area. Wards where winning would make us the main opposition on the council. Wards where winning could give us leadership of the council for the first time.
Meet some Reform local council candidates

1 week ago | markpack.org.uk | Mark Pack

Here are some of the people that Reform UK has put on the ballot paper for the May local elections across England. The Banbury Guardian reports:A Reform UK candidate for the Oxfordshire local elections has claimed that Jimmy Savile was an “innocent man” and a “working class hero” as well as being his “role model”.
Lessons from campaigning in County Durham

1 week ago | markpack.org.uk | Mark Pack

I have been making an extra effort to travel further afield from home for this year’s local election season, including to Hull and the East Riding, and this weekend to County Durham. Steve White, the candidate whose ward we were out in, was in fact Flick Rea‘s first winning election agent.
Lib Dems secure pledge of limit to emergency new government powers

1 week ago | markpack.org.uk | Mark Pack

Sky News reports Lib Dem Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper securing an important assurance from the government during the Parliamentary debate on emergency legislation to secure the future of the Scunthorpe steel works. After welcoming action to save the steel works, she went on to query the very broad powers the emergency legislation gives the government:[Daisy Cooper] says the Labour government is “trying to give itself unprecedented powers” in order to save British Steel.
Street Fight: a great election documentary, following Cory Booker's bid for Mayor

1 week ago | markpack.org.uk | Mark Pack

The 2002 contest for Mayor of Newark generated an Oscar-nominated documentary. Street Fight is still a great watch, particularly as the winner, Corby Booker, is still very much in the political stage:The story in the film ends in 2005 and, without giving away any spoilers, it is afterwards well worth reading up on what happened next (which you can find easily online). Three other election documentaries to enjoy if you like this one:An African Election about the 2008 Ghana Presidential election.
Lib Dems secure 14% swing from Conservatives in Sutton

1 week ago | markpack.org.uk | Mark Pack

Four principal authority council by-elections this week and let us start with a 14 percent swing from Conservatives to Lib Dems in Luke Taylor’s Westminster constituency:Congratulations to new councillor Choi Ka Yuen and the team. Next a ward without a Lib Dem last time but with one this time, continuing that Lib Dem progress in North Wales I’ve commented on before:Thank you to Andrew Joyce for getting the Lib Dems on the ballot paper.
And the first Lib Dem council gain of the local elections is...

2 weeks ago | markpack.org.uk | Mark Pack

… a healthy reminder of the benefits of putting up more council candidates, including in town and parish council elections given their increasing importance in a world in which large unitary authorities are spreading. The Melksham Independent News has the details:The Liberal Democrat group is set to gain control of Melksham Town Council after the town council elections on 1st May, following the release of the official list of candidates.
Two former Tory MPs go head-to-head - as Lib Dem and Reform candidates

2 weeks ago | markpack.org.uk | Mark Pack

The Worcester News reports:A former health secretary who served under Margaret Thatcher and John Major is to stand in the coming county council elections for Worcester. Stephen Dorrell is to stand for the Liberal Democrats in a bid to become the Worcestershire County Council candidate for Bedwardine. The decision to stand by the former MP [Loughborough and then Charnwood, 1979-2015. puts him head-to-head with Cllr Alan Amos, himself a former MP [for Hexham, 1987-1992].
The Liberal Democrats have a new Parliamentarian...

2 weeks ago | markpack.org.uk | Mark Pack

Welcome, Jamie Greene:Lib Dem leader Ed Davey welcomed Jamie Greene to the party, saying:So proud to join Alex Cole-Hamilton in welcoming former Conservative MSP Jamie Greene to the Liberal Democrat family. He speaks for so many voters who feel abandoned by Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives as they chase Nigel Farage to ever more extreme politics. The BBC explains the context:Former Scottish Conservative MSP Jamie Greene has defected to the Scottish Liberal Democrats.
Bar charts at the ready (LDN#195)

2 weeks ago | markpack.org.uk | Mark Pack

Liberal Democrat Newswire #195 came out earlier this week and you can now also read it in full below.