Why do you doubt that 'Total Politics' will be politically neutral?
For starters, it's bankrolled by Conservative party deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft, and even based in a building that he owns.
Iain Dale, a former Conservative candidate, assures us that Lord Ashcroft is only one of many investors, and that the magazine will take a neutral line, but we have reason to doubt that claim.
Why do you doubt Iain Dale's claim?
Because Iain had similar difficulty with 18 Doughty Street, and he's also the man who assured his readers that Grant Shapps' password was '1234' and a 'visit was the same as a 'unique visitor'.
Even if Iain thinks that he's telling the truth, we doubt that he truly understands the meaning of the words 'politically neutral'.
Why an opt-out list?
The magazine will attempt to turn a profit by attracting advertisers. If Iain isn't careful, those advertisers might somehow end up with the impression that the magazine has 23,000+ readers, when in fact it has 23,000+ readers minus those who treat the magazine as junk mail and/or wouldn't trust Dale/Ashcroft as far as they could spit them.
By providing Iain Dale with an opt-out list, we may very well avoid any confusion on the readership front similar to the recent visits/visitors nonsense.
If I submit my details, who will see the data and how will it be used?
The data will initially be seen by the creators of this opt-out list, Tim Ireland and Clive Summerfield.
Overall opt-out numbers may be published here at some stage, but individual data will NOT be shared with anyone but the good people at Total Politics (if/when they decide to accept the opt-out data).
What do I do if I have a further question?