In 1973, the political scientist John May argued that those lowest and highest in a political party's hierarchy were the least likely to hold "extreme" views. Professor Philip Cowley, from Queen Mary University of London, argues that whilst May's theory is praised for its simplicity, it is surprisingly difficult to test, in this article for The Times. Professor Cowley analyses the findings in his report, Mind the values gap, which he believes show "not only that May's Law doesn't seem to hold any more, but that both political parties are seriously out of touch with their own electorates."
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