There’s only been one poll since the excepts of Andrew Rawnsley’s book were released, showing the Tory lead steady at 6%. The lead may change in the next few days but let’s have a think about the trend since the beginning of 2010.
Since the beginning of the year the Tory lead has dropped, mainly due to an increase in the Labour position. Previously their polling was in the high twenties, but now has advanced to the low thirties. It’s possibly due to the end of the recession, maybe that the abortive coup steadied Gordon Brown’s position, or maybe due to the lack of a gaffe by team Brown in 2010.
Indeed, gaffes have been coming forth from the Tories. The confused message about how large the cuts would be this year, the unforgivable error about a misplaced decimal point, the crass death tax poster and the airbrushed David Cameron have all contributed to a sense of confusion and drift at CCHQ. It shows that Team Cameron are unsure whether to go positive or negative. My answer is go positive – the public needs some hope in these dire times. The Tories need to get a grip and unify their messages.
I think this may explain the figures. What I’m dismayed about, though, is how can 33% of the population think that it’s a good idea to have 5 more years hard Labour? I know that there is around a core of 23-24% of people who will always vote Labour, but what about the floating voters? Have they such short memories? Have they forgotten:
- the 10p tax
- the lack of planning for the wars
- the vast amount of increased tax
- the huge deficit
- the devaluation of our school exams
- the increase in violent crime
- the increase in inequality
- the destruction of the pension system
- the reduction of social mobility
- the 42 days detention
- the nanny state intervening everywhere
- the large data loss
- the complete breakdown of the immigration system
- the artificial dividing lines
- the doubling of council tax
- the broken communities
I could go on. Two things will determine the next 5 years, the first is the vast reduction of our deficit. How can we trust the man who created a huge structural deficit before going into recession to reduce it, when all he knows is how to spend? The second is the ‘vision thing’ for the succeeding years, what is the Labour party vision? What is Gordon Brown’s vision? He asked us to give him time to tell us – we’re still waiting. At least the Tory party have described a vision whereby people take control of their lives, services and communities.
Finally, I should confess that if Gordon Brown is PM in July I would seriously think of emigrating. I don’t think I could stand another 5 years of it!
Squiffy.
2 comments:
Nice article but you left two items off your list; the selling of half our gold reserves at a rock bottom price and the abolition of 'boom and bust'!
Quite right, I'd forgotten about the selling of the nation's gold at the bottom of the market.
Anybody who believed that 'Boom and Bust' was consigned to history must have been delusional. Gordon Brown believed his own rhetoric and thought that he could open the flood gates on spending with no consequences. He hadn't realised that the fiscal loosening combined with his deficient regulatory framework stored up a debt bubble which would lead to a credit based rather than inflation based recession. That's why we're in such a mess!
Squiffy.
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