Sounds like some wishful thinking there Beast. Did you watch QT last night - I have found the last couple of QTs quite interesting. I don't get the sense that Labour are liked as an alternative Government, whatever the polls may be saying.

 Quite. I don't like this government, but the I like Labour even less.

You and Maunder were never Labour voters to start with!

But you are correct. The swing voters don't like Labour at the moment and it will take years for them to win back trust. But the polls suggest that swing voters are not happy with the austerity cuts and other idiotic policies like scrapping Aircraft carriers, privatising forests and cutting police numbers 

YouGov/News International

Con 36% Lab 44% Lib-Dem 10% Lab Lead 8%

A couple of new polls last night;

YouGov/News International

Con 36% (n/c) Lab 43% (-1) Lib-Dem 10% (+1) Lab Lead 7%

ComRes/Independent

Con 35% Lab 39% Lib-Dem 12% Lab Lead 4%

Populus/Times

Con 35% Lab 41% Lib-Dem 11% Lab Lead 6%

YouGov/News International

Con 36% Lab 42% Lib-Dem 9% Lab Lead 6%

Populus/Times

Con 35% Lab 41% Lib-Dem 11% Lab Lead 6%

YouGov/News International

Con 36% Lab 42% Lib-Dem 9% Lab Lead 6%

It probably is time for the pollsters to start more regular posting of the others. Certainly the last Angus Reid* has UKIP just 2% behind the Lib Dems nationally.

*though, apparently they do tend to 'overcook' the others.

YouGov/News International

Con 36% Lab 44% Lib-Dem 10% Lab Lead 8%

Labour has the public sector vote and the rest is split.

ComRes/IoS/S. Mirror

Con 37% (+1) Lab 40% (-2) Lib-Dem 11% (n/c) Lab Lead 3%

Can't imagine Cameron being disappointed with those figures getting towards the first anniversary of the coalition

Can't imagine Cameron being disappointed with those figures getting towards the first anniversary of the coalition

Certainly given the circumstances, things could be a lot worse for the government. Camerons own approval ratings are perhaps the most surprising - It appears he is still as popular as he was in 2009 and is more popular now than he was during the run up to the last general election when his approval rating dropped into single figures.

YouGov/News International

Con 33% Lab 44% Lib-Dem 11% Lab Lead 11%

There were two polls yesterday;

MORI

Con 37% Lab 41% Lib-Dem 10% Lab Lead 4%

YouGov/News International

Con 35% Lab 43% Lib-Dem 10% Lab Lead 8%

First post budget poll. As ever its YouGov;

YouGov/news International

Con 37% Lab 41% Lib-Dem 11% Lab Lead 4%

We really need to wait for the weekend to see what if any effect they budget has had.

Two consecutive polls suggesting that the budget has been fairly well received, of course further offerings may say differently!

Guardian/ICM

Con 37% (+2) Lab 36% (-2) Lib-Dem 16% (-2) Con Lead 1%

Edit: Things working OK now. Just needed to hit F5+Refresh.

Thanks

Lots of interesting findings for this poll as well;

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/mar/25/voters-cuts-coalition-poll

Apparently Ed Milliband is more unpopular than George Osborne.

This is going to set the cat amongst the pigeons a bit; ICM/Guardian Con 37% (+2) Lab 36% (-2) Lib-Dem 16% (-2) Con Lead 1%

An interesting poll Gavin; outwardly poor for the opposition, but it seems the main story is the Lab-Lib trading of support. Polling for the Tories has been remarkably consistent since the begining of the year. Although their poll range has been 32 to 40%, they've basically bobbled around 35 to 38, so no real cat amongst any pigeons there.

Over on the UK polling blog Anthony comments that the ICM poll held even more fascinating detail:-

"Looking at the rest of the poll, ICM also found a significant movement of support in favour of the scale of the government’s cuts. While 35% people still think the cuts go too far, this is down from 45% in November. 28% think the balance is about right, and 29% think the cuts are not severe enough, up by 15 points since November. That last figure here is particularly startling – suggesting a third of people would like even bigger cuts. Compare it to YouGov’s regular trackers on whether the cuts are too deep, too shallow or about right. YouGov too have shown the proportion of people thinking the cuts are too deep falling (down to 44% from 51% a month or two back), but they only find 9% thinking the cuts aren’t big enough."

Picking the bones out of this...it looks like the great British public may have bought Osborne's fabrication that he's given them some tax cuts; showing that a section of the electorate cannot give up their addiction to tax cutting. WRT the 29%...are these 'real tories' getting a little dissatisfied with the coalition's pace?

All very interesting.

This is going to set the cat amongst the pigeons a bit; ICM/Guardian Con 37% (+2) Lab 36% (-2) Lib-Dem 16% (-2) Con Lead 1%

An interesting poll Gavin; outwardly poor for the opposition, but it seems the main story is the Lab-Lib trading of support. Polling for the Tories has been remarkably consistent since the begining of the year. Although their poll range has been 32 to 40%, they've basically bobbled around 35 to 38, so no real cat amongst any pigeons there.

Over on the UK polling blog Anthony comments that the ICM poll held even more fascinating detail:-

"Looking at the rest of the poll, ICM also found a significant movement of support in favour of the scale of the government’s cuts. While 35% people still think the cuts go too far, this is down from 45% in November. 28% think the balance is about right, and 29% think the cuts are not severe enough, up by 15 points since November. That last figure here is particularly startling – suggesting a third of people would like even bigger cuts. Compare it to YouGov’s regular trackers on whether the cuts are too deep, too shallow or about right. YouGov too have shown the proportion of people thinking the cuts are too deep falling (down to 44% from 51% a month or two back), but they only find 9% thinking the cuts aren’t big enough."

Picking the bones out of this...it looks like the great British public may have bought Osborne's fabrication that he's given them some tax cuts; showing that a section of the electorate cannot give up their addiction to tax cutting. WRT the 29%...are these 'real tories' getting a little dissatisfied with the coalition's pace?

All very interesting.

I for one think the rolling back of the state has been far too timid. Part of the problem is the great demographic of pensioners - if any group deserves to lose middle class benefits, it is the gray haired group, where superannuated pensioners still get free travel, winter fuel allowances and God knows what else, whilst contributing zip all to the economy, other than their spending power.

This is going to set the cat amongst the pigeons a bit; ICM/Guardian Con 37% (+2) Lab 36% (-2) Lib-Dem 16% (-2) Con Lead 1%

An interesting poll Gavin; outwardly poor for the opposition, but it seems the main story is the Lab-Lib trading of support. Polling for the Tories has been remarkably consistent since the begining of the year. Although their poll range has been 32 to 40%, they've basically bobbled around 35 to 38, so no real cat amongst any pigeons there.

Over on the UK polling blog Anthony comments that the ICM poll held even more fascinating detail:-

"Looking at the rest of the poll, ICM also found a significant movement of support in favour of the scale of the government’s cuts. While 35% people still think the cuts go too far, this is down from 45% in November. 28% think the balance is about right, and 29% think the cuts are not severe enough, up by 15 points since November. That last figure here is particularly startling – suggesting a third of people would like even bigger cuts. Compare it to YouGov’s regular trackers on whether the cuts are too deep, too shallow or about right. YouGov too have shown the proportion of people thinking the cuts are too deep falling (down to 44% from 51% a month or two back), but they only find 9% thinking the cuts aren’t big enough."

Picking the bones out of this...it looks like the great British public may have bought Osborne's fabrication that he's given them some tax cuts; showing that a section of the electorate cannot give up their addiction to tax cutting. WRT the 29%...are these 'real tories' getting a little dissatisfied with the coalition's pace?

All very interesting.

I for one think the rolling back of the state has been far too timid. Part of the problem is the great demographic of pensioners - if any group deserves to lose middle class benefits, it is the gray haired group, where superannuated pensioners still get free travel, winter fuel allowances and God knows what else, whilst contributing zip all to the economy, other than their spending power.

Oh, so its pensioners now, that have got to pay for the banksters, their crisis and their bonuses

You really are the nasty party incarnate

Was there actually one measure in Gideon's budget to close the tax gap of the billions lost to the exchequer by billionaire/corporation evasion?

 

Oh, so its pensioners now, that have got to pay for the banksters, their crisis and their bonuses

It is crazy the way we treat pensioners as a "special case", when many of them are far better off than the majority. The ex company director and his wife living next door to us get the winter fuel allowance, free bus passes and all the rest, yet by any normal standards, they are very wealthy.

What I am arguing for is a scrapping of nonsense universal benefits based on age, such as the WFA, with help being targetted to where it is needed - those genuinely in fuel poverty for instance.

But no Government will touch pensioners, since they are such an important voting demographic.

It is not being "nasty", it is being realistic, but realism is in very short supply in this country these days!