A close look at the latest YouGov poll
snowflake5 Sat Aug 02, 2008 at 05:31:39 PM GMT 
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All the press focused on was the Brown v Miliband ratings. But the real story was how we dropped back as soon as the public thought there was going to be a fight within Labour
The You Gov poll of 23-25th July had the following results:
After a febrile week of leadership speculation, the YouGov poll done on 29-31st July produced the following result:
In other words, all the leadership chatter did was send us from 19 points behind to 22 points behind, with headlines immediately wiping out the approval we got just the week before for welfare reform.
And here's what the figures would be like if David Miliband took over:
Con 45
Lab 26
Lib Dem 17
Other 12After a febrile week of leadership speculation, the YouGov poll done on 29-31st July produced the following result:
Con 47
Lab 25
Lib Dem 16
Other 12 In other words, all the leadership chatter did was send us from 19 points behind to 22 points behind, with headlines immediately wiping out the approval we got just the week before for welfare reform.
And here's what the figures would be like if David Miliband took over:
Con 47
Lab 24
Lab 24
Lib Dem 16
Other 14
We are of course in a dreadful place - the 26% at the very top speaks this loud and clear. But we compound things is we appear at all divided. Part of the reason Labour is behind is that the public thinks that Brown doesn't command his cabinet, his party or parliament. Some of it is his fault. Some is the fault of his cabinet who arn't hanging together the way they should. But leadership challenges just add meat to this narrative.
The corollary to "Labour united can never be defeated" is "Labour divided is always defeated".
We've simply got to grit our teeth, start canvassing in our respective constituencies, stop attacking each other and stop drawing attention to ourselves. As long as we hog the limelight and draw attention to ourselves, no one scrutinises the Conservatives. They are protectionist*, anti-EU, anti-free movement of people, anti-common sense and economically illiterate. But no one realises this as long as the "Will Labour commit regicide" circus is in town.
*Protectionism is in the Conservative DNA, but free-trade is in the Labour DNA. The very first Labour government of 1923 was a free-trade one - for historians, here's that 1923 manifesto which states boldly that "The Labour Party challenges the Tariff policy and the whole conception of economic relations underlying it. Tariffs are not a remedy for Unemployment. They are an impediment to the free interchange of goods and services upon which civilised society rests". It also states that "Labour stands for equality between men and women: equal political and legal rights, equal rights and privileges in parenthood, equal pay for equal work." - we are now close to delivering that last pledge, 85 years later...
The 1924 Labour minority government abolished all tariffs on coming to power. But the government fell because the Liberals and Conservatives falsely claimed that Labour were in league with communists (as though communists could be free-traders!) and had a vote of no confidence. The Conservative government that followed immediately reinstated tariffs and protectionism and the great depression followed. Thatcher radically dissented from this - but the Conservative party is in the process of reverting to it's protectionist and paternalistic type.
We are of course in a dreadful place - the 26% at the very top speaks this loud and clear. But we compound things is we appear at all divided. Part of the reason Labour is behind is that the public thinks that Brown doesn't command his cabinet, his party or parliament. Some of it is his fault. Some is the fault of his cabinet who arn't hanging together the way they should. But leadership challenges just add meat to this narrative.
The corollary to "Labour united can never be defeated" is "Labour divided is always defeated".
We've simply got to grit our teeth, start canvassing in our respective constituencies, stop attacking each other and stop drawing attention to ourselves. As long as we hog the limelight and draw attention to ourselves, no one scrutinises the Conservatives. They are protectionist*, anti-EU, anti-free movement of people, anti-common sense and economically illiterate. But no one realises this as long as the "Will Labour commit regicide" circus is in town.
*Protectionism is in the Conservative DNA, but free-trade is in the Labour DNA. The very first Labour government of 1923 was a free-trade one - for historians, here's that 1923 manifesto which states boldly that "The Labour Party challenges the Tariff policy and the whole conception of economic relations underlying it. Tariffs are not a remedy for Unemployment. They are an impediment to the free interchange of goods and services upon which civilised society rests". It also states that "Labour stands for equality between men and women: equal political and legal rights, equal rights and privileges in parenthood, equal pay for equal work." - we are now close to delivering that last pledge, 85 years later...
The 1924 Labour minority government abolished all tariffs on coming to power. But the government fell because the Liberals and Conservatives falsely claimed that Labour were in league with communists (as though communists could be free-traders!) and had a vote of no confidence. The Conservative government that followed immediately reinstated tariffs and protectionism and the great depression followed. Thatcher radically dissented from this - but the Conservative party is in the process of reverting to it's protectionist and paternalistic type.
A close look at the latest YouGov poll | 62 comments (62 topical)
A close look at the latest YouGov poll | 62 comments (62 topical)
