ICM/Guardian

Con 35% Lab 39% Lib-Dem 15% Con Lead 4%

LOL! Can't get used to posting Lab Lead!

I dont remember what the previous ICM was but Tories are now back to where they were at the election. Lib Dems not too bad but ICM always gives them a bigger share than YouGov

YouGov/News International

Con 39% Lab 41% Lib-Dem 10% Lab Lead 2%

Labour take their first double digit lead.

MORI

Con 33% Lab 43% Lib-Dem 13% Lab Lead 10%

Labour take their first double digit lead.

MORI

Con 33% Lab 43% Lib-Dem 13% Lab Lead 10%

Things are bleak at the moment. Pity that the Coalition is taking the flak for what happened under Labour, but it was ever thus. Nick Robinson made the astute comment yesterday, that all the evidence now is that the Coalition is digging in for the long haul and it really will go the distance. So at that level, today's polls are meaningless, except for what they might be telling us will happen in the local elections in May and the Scottish and Welsh Assembly elections.

Labour take their first double digit lead.

MORI

Con 33% Lab 43% Lib-Dem 13% Lab Lead 10%

Coalition 46%, Lab 43%. What lead? But that just illustrates the old saying that if the [coalition] don't hang together, they will certainly hang separately

Coalition 46%, Lab 43%. What lead? But that just illustrates the old saying that if the [coalition] don't hang together, they will certainly hang separately

It is certainly an old fashioned style marriage without prospect of a divorce for the Limp Dumbs!

Clegg, Laws, Alexander and other Orange bookers will  be delighted and hope for a merger with the Cameroonians one day

Most swing voters still support the cuts but the real test is whether that continues once they start to impact directly on their personal circumstances.

Job creation is also crucial to the Govt's prospects, I think we will see growth over the coming years but unemployment may remain stubbornly high. A jobless recovery like in the US and the state still having to pay high welfare bills so little deficit reduction as well

Coalition 46%, Lab 43%. What lead? But that just illustrates the old saying that if the [coalition] don't hang together, they will certainly hang separately

It is certainly an old fashioned style marriage without prospect of a divorce for the Limp Dumbs!

Clegg, Laws, Alexander and other Orange bookers will  be delighted and hope for a merger with the Cameroonians one day

Most swing voters still support the cuts but the real test is whether that continues once they start to impact directly on their personal circumstances.

Job creation is also crucial to the Govt's prospects, I think we will see growth over the coming years but unemployment may remain stubbornly high. A jobless recovery like in the US and the state still having to pay high welfare bills so little deficit reduction as well

 

Now that is a good analysis Beast. As a Conservative, I would like to see some bold tax cuts and deregulation to encourage private sector investment and job creation. Whether Osborne and his LD allies will have the nerve to do it, remains to be seen.

The Coalition will hold firm for at least the next two years - if the economy and public finances are still rocky by then, I would expect to see some wobbling, particularly if there are some defections from the left of the LDs to Labour.

Other than that possibility, the Coalition will endure until 2015.

Labour take their first double digit lead.

MORI

Con 33% Lab 43% Lib-Dem 13% Lab Lead 10%

Things are bleak at the moment. Pity that the Coalition is taking the flak for what happened under Labour, but it was ever thus. Nick Robinson made the astute comment yesterday, that all the evidence now is that the Coalition is digging in for the long haul and it really will go the distance. So at that level, today's polls are meaningless, except for what they might be telling us will happen in the local elections in May and the Scottish and Welsh Assembly elections.

Polling is important though, because it sets the mood amongst the Westminster Village. It makes MP's either happy or gloomy depending on how their party is doing. It also helps shape the media media narrative and gives the winning party momentum.

YouGov/News International

Con 38% Lab 44% Lib-Dem 8% Lab Lead 6%

YouGov/Sunday Times

Con 39% (+1) Lab 43% (-1) Lib-Dem 8% (n/c) Lab Lead 4% 

Government approval -22

Angus Reid/Sunday Express

Con 32% Lab 43% Lib-Dem 11% Lab Lead 11%

There were a couple of polls last night:

ComRes/Independent

Con 34% Lab 43% Lib-Dem 11% Lab Lead 9%

YouGov/News International

Con 40% (+1) Lab 42% (-1) Lib-Dem 8% (n/c) Lab Lead 2%

There were a couple of polls last night:

ComRes/Independent

Con 34% Lab 43% Lib-Dem 11% Lab Lead 9%

YouGov/News International

Con 40% (+1) Lab 42% (-1) Lib-Dem 8% (n/c) Lab Lead 2%

YouGov gives consistently higher ratings for the Tories. That is fine by me, since they have one of the best accuracy records on a statistical basis.

However, I expect the Tories to take a further knock over the spring and summer as tax rises bite the middle income group (despite the fact that some of them are Labour tax rises timed to come into effect this year - like the NI increase and the 50p tax band). Scrapping child benefit for higher rate tax payers is George's own unique contribution however.

There were a couple of polls last night:

ComRes/Independent

Con 34% Lab 43% Lib-Dem 11% Lab Lead 9%

YouGov/News International

Con 40% (+1) Lab 42% (-1) Lib-Dem 8% (n/c) Lab Lead 2%

YouGov gives consistently higher ratings for the Tories. That is fine by me, since they have one of the best accuracy records on a statistical basis.

However, I expect the Tories to take a further knock over the spring and summer as tax rises bite the middle income group (despite the fact that some of them are Labour tax rises timed to come into effect this year - like the NI increase and the 50p tax band). Scrapping child benefit for higher rate tax payers is George's own unique contribution however.

The 50p band isn't going to hit any middle-income earner.

Scrapping CB for HR taxpayers doesn't come in until next April, I thought.

There were a couple of polls last night:

ComRes/Independent

Con 34% Lab 43% Lib-Dem 11% Lab Lead 9%

YouGov/News International

Con 40% (+1) Lab 42% (-1) Lib-Dem 8% (n/c) Lab Lead 2%

YouGov gives consistently higher ratings for the Tories. That is fine by me, since they have one of the best accuracy records on a statistical basis.

However, I expect the Tories to take a further knock over the spring and summer as tax rises bite the middle income group (despite the fact that some of them are Labour tax rises timed to come into effect this year - like the NI increase and the 50p tax band). Scrapping child benefit for higher rate tax payers is George's own unique contribution however.

The 50p band isn't going to hit any middle-income earner.

Scrapping CB for HR taxpayers doesn't come in until next April, I thought.

Just checked - it actually comes into force from April 2013 - doesn't mean it isn't at the back of everyone's minds though.

So that means all the tax hikes this April are left over from Labour, apart from the reduction in higher rate thresholds designed to compensate for increased personal allowances. Quite a socialist Budget in prospect then..

There were a couple of polls last night:

ComRes/Independent

Con 34% Lab 43% Lib-Dem 11% Lab Lead 9%

YouGov/News International

Con 40% (+1) Lab 42% (-1) Lib-Dem 8% (n/c) Lab Lead 2%

YouGov gives consistently higher ratings for the Tories. That is fine by me, since they have one of the best accuracy records on a statistical basis.

However, I expect the Tories to take a further knock over the spring and summer as tax rises bite the middle income group (despite the fact that some of them are Labour tax rises timed to come into effect this year - like the NI increase and the 50p tax band). Scrapping child benefit for higher rate tax payers is George's own unique contribution however.

The 50p band isn't going to hit any middle-income earner.

Scrapping CB for HR taxpayers doesn't come in until next April, I thought.

Just checked - it actually comes into force from April 2013 - doesn't mean it isn't at the back of everyone's minds though.

So that means all the tax hikes this April are left over from Labour, apart from the reduction in higher rate thresholds designed to compensate for increased personal allowances. Quite a socialist Budget in prospect then..

They aren't all left over from Labour! but good effort 

Apparently the Lib Dems are neck and neck with the SNP in the re-formed Inverness seat for the Scottish Parliament (less than polling error in it) with Labour and Tories not at the races. A big chunk of John Farquer Munro's seat shifts to the new Inverness one. Goodness only knows what sort of tactical voting might go on this race, I suspect an element of Tory -> Lib Dem vote shift, offsetting Lib Dem -> SNP shift, then the tribal labour nat bashers voting Lib Dem to try and unseat Fregus Ewing for the SNP.

YouGov/News International

Con 37% Lab 44% Lib-Dem 9% Lab Lead 7%

The Tories are polling where they were at the election last year, which is quite good for them. Still little sign of direct switching from Tory to Labour, so the Government should be fairly relaxed about things at the moment.

Labour have mainly benefitted from the collapse of the Lib Dems.  

The Tories are polling where they were at the election last year, which is quite good for them. Still little sign of direct switching from Tory to Labour, so the Government should be fairly relaxed about things at the moment.

Labour have mainly benefitted from the collapse of the Lib Dems.  

Hapless Ed has written an article for the Telegraph today - love the comments underneath:

Ed Miliband: young have it harder than parents

Didn't the jerk realise that people would place the blame where it belongs? With the previous Government in which he was a Minister...