Political opinion polls have taken on enormous power in the past few decades, often influencing rather than measuring opinion (Yes, polls can be wrong. But the alternatives are worse, 30 June). They are used, wrongly, by some to predict the outcome of elections or referenda. The terms of their use and publication is determined principally by the media, whose ownership is in the hands of a few people with great wealth and a known bias. On a number of occasions their inaccuracy has had a significant impact in determining our destiny.
They are currently only self-regulated and concern has been expressed about their increased power without responsibility or supervision. As demand for instant polling has mushroomed they have strayed increasingly from the scientifically accurate methods which take longer and are more expensive. These are some of the reasons why the Lords agreed to my suggestion to set up an ad hoc select committee to examine this issue and we look forward to taking evidence over the next few months and producing our report in the spring.
George Foulkes
Labour, House of Lords
• A major problem faced by opinion polls is translating national intentions into local voting practice. This year, there seems to have been much more, and better organised, tactical voting, which had an impact at local level. How else to explain, for example, the result in Sutton Four Oaks, where Labour polled 30% in a true blue ward where its previous support had rarely exceeded 10% – and where both the Liberal Democrats and Greens lost their deposits, despite having much stronger support in previous recent elections. This level of uncertainty could, of course, be rectified by having a system based on proportional representation.
Roy Boffy
Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham
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