Robert Waller (born September 1955) is a British election expert, author, teacher, and former opinion pollster. His best known published work is ''
The Almanac of British Politics
The ''Almanac of British Politics'' is a reference work which aims to provide a detailed look at the politics of the United Kingdom (UK) through an approach of profiling the social, economic and historical characteristics of each parliamentary cons ...
'' (8 editions, 1983–2007), a guide to the voting patterns of all
United Kingdom parliamentary constituencies
The Parliament of the United Kingdom currently has 650 parliamentary constituencies across the constituent countries (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland), each electing a single member of parliament (MP) to the House of Commons by ...
.
Education and career
Waller was born in
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...
, and educated first at
Buxton College
Founded in 1675, Buxton College was a boys' Public School and, from 1923, a grammar school in Buxton, Derbyshire whose site has been expanded since 1990 to be used as the fully co-educational comprehensive Buxton Community School.
History
Th ...
in Derbyshire, and then at the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
. In 1977, he earned a first class BA in History from
Balliol College
Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world.
With a governing body of a master and ar ...
, and in 1981, graduated from
Merton College
Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor ...
with an MA and
D.Phil. in History. His doctoral thesis, a historical study of
the Dukeries
The Dukeries is an area of the county of Nottinghamshire so called because it contained four ducal seats. It is south of Worksop, which has been called its "gateway". The area was included within the ancient Sherwood Forest
Sherwood Fo ...
district of Nottinghamshire, was published by
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...
in 1983 under the title ''The Dukeries Transformed''. He was a Fellow of
Magdalen College
Magdalen College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and one of the strongest academically, se ...
from 1980 to 1984.
From 1984 to 1986 Waller was a lecturer and tutor in Politics and History at the University of Oxford, as well as an assistant professor at the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...
. In 1986, he became the research director of the
Harris Research Centre, responsible for national opinion polling. He remained in this position until 1998, when he took up secondary school teaching. He has since taught at
Brighton College
Brighton College is a fee-charging, co-educational, boarding and day public school for boys and girls aged 3 to 18 in Brighton and Hove, England. The school has three sites: Brighton College (the senior school, ages 11 to 18), Brighton Co ...
,
Dame Alice Harpur School
Dame Alice Harpur School (also known as DAHS), known from 1882 until 1946 as Bedford Girls' Modern School, was a private girls school in Bedford, England, for girls aged 7–18. In September 2010 the junior department of the school merged with t ...
in Bedford, and
Haileybury in Hertford. In 2001 he was made head of History and Politics at the
Greenacre School for Girls in Banstead, Surrey. In 2017 he moved to teach at
Dunottar School
Dunottar School is a co-educational private secondary day school in Reigate, Surrey, England, established in 1926 as a girls' school.
History
The school was established in 1926 by Jessie Elliot-Pyle in Brownlow Road with three pupils, and was n ...
, Reigate.
From 2008 until the
2010 general election, Waller contributed a monthly column to ''
Total Politics
''Total Politics'' was a British political magazine described as "a lifestyle magazine for the political community". It was first published in June 2008, and was distributed freely to all MPs, MEPs, peers, political journalists, members of the ...
'' magazine.
From March 2020 an online version of the Almanac, moderated by Robert Waller, has appeared on the Vote UK website.
From July 2023 this addressed the new constituency boundaries scheduled to come into force at the next UK General Election.
Bibliography
*''The Dukeries Transformed''. 1983. Oxford University Press. .
*''
The Almanac of British Politics
The ''Almanac of British Politics'' is a reference work which aims to provide a detailed look at the politics of the United Kingdom (UK) through an approach of profiling the social, economic and historical characteristics of each parliamentary cons ...
''.
**April 1983 (Croom Helm)
**October 1983 (Croom Helm)
**1987 (Croom Helm)
**1991 (Routledge)
**1995 (Routledge)
**1999 (Routledge)
**2002 (Routledge)
**2007 (Routledge)
* ''The Atlas of British Politics'' (1985). Croom Helm. .
*''Moulding Political Opinion'' (with
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born 17 June 1945) is an English former politician who served as the Leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1981 until the council was Local Government Act 1985, abolished in 1986, and as Mayor of Londo ...
and Sir
Geoffrey Finsberg
Geoffrey Finsberg, Baron Finsberg, (13 June 1926 – 8 October 1996) was a British Conservative politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hampstead from 1970 to 1983, and for its successor constituency, Hampstead & Highgate, from 1 ...
) (1988). Croom Helm. .
*"What if the SDP-Liberal Alliance had finished second in the 1983 general election", in Duncan Brack and
Iain Dale
Iain Dale (born 15 July 1962) is a British broadcaster, author, political commentator, and a former publisher and book retailer. He has been a blogger since 2002. He was the publisher of the ''Total Politics'' magazine between 2008 and 2012, a ...
(eds), ''Prime Minister Portillo and other things that never happened''. (2003, paperback 2004). Politico's Publishing.
*"What if the 1903 Gladstone – MacDonald Pact had never happened", in Duncan Brack (ed.), ''President Gore ... and other things that never happened'' (2006). Politico's Publishing.
*"What if proportional representation had been introduced in 1918" in Duncan Brack and
Iain Dale
Iain Dale (born 15 July 1962) is a British broadcaster, author, political commentator, and a former publisher and book retailer. He has been a blogger since 2002. He was the publisher of the ''Total Politics'' magazine between 2008 and 2012, a ...
(eds), ''Prime Minister Boris .. and other things that never happened'' (2011).
Biteback
Biteback Publishing is a British publisher based in Hull, and concentrating mainly on political titles. It was incorporated, as a private limited company with share capital, in 2009. It was jointly owned by its managing director Iain Dale and ...
Publishing.
*''2015 General Election'' (with
Iain Dale
Iain Dale (born 15 July 1962) is a British broadcaster, author, political commentator, and a former publisher and book retailer. He has been a blogger since 2002. He was the publisher of the ''Total Politics'' magazine between 2008 and 2012, a ...
, Greg Callus and Daniel Hamilton) (2014).
Biteback
Biteback Publishing is a British publisher based in Hull, and concentrating mainly on political titles. It was incorporated, as a private limited company with share capital, in 2009. It was jointly owned by its managing director Iain Dale and ...
Publishing. .
*''The Politico's Guide to the New House of Commons 2015'' (with Tim Carr and
Iain Dale
Iain Dale (born 15 July 1962) is a British broadcaster, author, political commentator, and a former publisher and book retailer. He has been a blogger since 2002. He was the publisher of the ''Total Politics'' magazine between 2008 and 2012, a ...
) (2015).
Biteback
Biteback Publishing is a British publisher based in Hull, and concentrating mainly on political titles. It was incorporated, as a private limited company with share capital, in 2009. It was jointly owned by its managing director Iain Dale and ...
Publishing. .
*"What if Lyndon Johnson had been shot down in 1942" in Duncan Brack and
Iain Dale
Iain Dale (born 15 July 1962) is a British broadcaster, author, political commentator, and a former publisher and book retailer. He has been a blogger since 2002. He was the publisher of the ''Total Politics'' magazine between 2008 and 2012, a ...
(eds), ''Prime Minister Corbyn ... and other things that never happened'' (2016).
Biteback
Biteback Publishing is a British publisher based in Hull, and concentrating mainly on political titles. It was incorporated, as a private limited company with share capital, in 2009. It was jointly owned by its managing director Iain Dale and ...
Publishing.
*''The Politico's Guide to the New House of Commons 2017'' (with Tim Carr and
Iain Dale
Iain Dale (born 15 July 1962) is a British broadcaster, author, political commentator, and a former publisher and book retailer. He has been a blogger since 2002. He was the publisher of the ''Total Politics'' magazine between 2008 and 2012, a ...
) (2017).
Biteback
Biteback Publishing is a British publisher based in Hull, and concentrating mainly on political titles. It was incorporated, as a private limited company with share capital, in 2009. It was jointly owned by its managing director Iain Dale and ...
Publishing. .
*"Ramsay MacDonald" in
Iain Dale
Iain Dale (born 15 July 1962) is a British broadcaster, author, political commentator, and a former publisher and book retailer. He has been a blogger since 2002. He was the publisher of the ''Total Politics'' magazine between 2008 and 2012, a ...
ed. ''The Prime Ministers'' (2020).
.
*"What if Franklin D.Roosevelt had died of polio in 1921" in Duncan Brack and
Iain Dale
Iain Dale (born 15 July 1962) is a British broadcaster, author, political commentator, and a former publisher and book retailer. He has been a blogger since 2002. He was the publisher of the ''Total Politics'' magazine between 2008 and 2012, a ...
(eds), ''Prime Minister Priti ... and other things that never happened'' (2021).
Biteback
Biteback Publishing is a British publisher based in Hull, and concentrating mainly on political titles. It was incorporated, as a private limited company with share capital, in 2009. It was jointly owned by its managing director Iain Dale and ...
Publishing.
*"Rutherford Hayes", in
Iain Dale
Iain Dale (born 15 July 1962) is a British broadcaster, author, political commentator, and a former publisher and book retailer. He has been a blogger since 2002. He was the publisher of the ''Total Politics'' magazine between 2008 and 2012, a ...
(ed.), ''The Presidents'' (2021).
.
*"Stephen", in
Iain Dale
Iain Dale (born 15 July 1962) is a British broadcaster, author, political commentator, and a former publisher and book retailer. He has been a blogger since 2002. He was the publisher of the ''Total Politics'' magazine between 2008 and 2012, a ...
(ed.), ''Kings and Queens'' (2023).
.
*"1924", in
Iain Dale
Iain Dale (born 15 July 1962) is a British broadcaster, author, political commentator, and a former publisher and book retailer. He has been a blogger since 2002. He was the publisher of the ''Total Politics'' magazine between 2008 and 2012, a ...
(ed.), ''British General Election Campaigns'' (2024).
Biteback
Biteback Publishing is a British publisher based in Hull, and concentrating mainly on political titles. It was incorporated, as a private limited company with share capital, in 2009. It was jointly owned by its managing director Iain Dale and ...
Publishing.
*"Walter Ulbricht", in
Iain Dale
Iain Dale (born 15 July 1962) is a British broadcaster, author, political commentator, and a former publisher and book retailer. He has been a blogger since 2002. He was the publisher of the ''Total Politics'' magazine between 2008 and 2012, a ...
(ed.), ''The Dictators'' (2024).
.
*"Constituency profiles", in
Ian Brunskill (ed.), ''The Times Guide to the House of Commons 2024'' (2024).
Times Books
Times Books (previously the New York Times Book Company) is a publishing imprint owned by the New York Times Company and licensed to Henry Holt and Company.
Times Books began as the New York Times Book Company in 1969, when The New York Times Co ...
.
References
External links
Full text of doctoral thesis, "The social and political development of a new coalfield"via Oxford Research Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waller, Robert
Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford
1955 births
Living people
People educated at Buxton College
Pollsters