Things I wouldn't have expected: Poll says public more interested in Gurkhas than expenses

Adrienne Wilde

Are you sure that isn't Things MPs Would Prefer the Public to be More Interested In?

Scary Biscuits

Politics Home polls are ususally totally unscientific and shouldn't be relied upon for anythng more than entertainment. In this poll's case, the wording of the questions clearly guides respondents (e.g. the use of the word 'shocking' to describe the Gurkha letters and the trivial amount that Gordon Brown has claimed for cleaners, ignoring more excessive claims by other MPs). Worded like this, it isn't at all surprising that a majority chose the Gurkha story.

Chris

The expenses thing is a total sideshow. People hate politicians, and this government in particular, because they've governed us so badly.

kinglear

Actually, it doesn't surprise me at all. The public regard MPs as troughers from start to finish, and, in a sense, its only interesting to see what it is they have had - we know they are raking it in, so what?
The Gurkhas, on the other hand, display stupidity and callousness of the first order - which is less expected.

Richard

Why wouldn't you have expected it? Everyone loves the Gurkhas - everyone hates MP's. It touches something visceral within the British psyche to watch honourable men being treated with such contempt by charlatans and hypocrites.

There is a similarity with the 2 issues in that no-one cares about MP's expenses - our conclusions have been made, yet everyone cares about the Gurkhas because there is only one conclusion that the public will accept.

I do find some of the reporting regarding Joanna Lumley to be so insulated from the real world - 'Baroness Lumley', 'triumphant campaigner' etc etc - and whilst she's done a grand job - the failure to acknowledge that virtually all of the British Public have no idea how this campaign ever needed to be established is perhaps the salient issue.

Why would anyone watch Eastenders when The Bridge over the River Kwai was on the other side?

Mike Kingscott

...proving the point that most of the public are idiots. Gah! Why can't we have some sort of ruling elite? ;-)

John Lloyd

You should have expected it.

Outside the Village, the Gurkhas(and JL) raise huge passion, emotion and typifies what ordinary Brits really have strong views about.

On the other hand, we had decided that all Labour MPs were sleazebags after Jacqui Smith and McNulty - no surprise that 'the other lot' are up to no good.

Why less interest? Despite however much the DT paid, there is no 'shock, horror' stuff to match sister's spare bedroom or claiming Remembrance Day wreaths (and that was The Sun).

Dog food, tampons and pipes under tennis courts just make us yawn - we know it's unsavoury snouts and troughs but it's not sex in Chelsea socks or JM getting Curried.

Seriously, the DT have blown it really. They have not found much explosive stuff but dragged out a scandal with arcane references to 'flipping', CGT rules and arcane references to morality.

Don't get me wrong, it is appalling and some MPs should be resign (but they won't) but the DT stuff just makes us say , 'that's what we always thought - scumbags'.

The opinion polls tell the true story. Like 1997, a disgraced and discredited regime is approaching its armageddon.

Bob.India

kinglear: "The Gurkhas, on the other hand, display stupidity and callousness of the first order - which is less expected."

Have I missed something over the past week? Would you care to enlighten us?

London Calling

Sometimes I feel like slapping you Speccies with a wet kipper..
all in the best possible taste of course...:0

Joanna Lumley's cause was just and each emotion she expressed
resonated with the public, they know sincerity when they see and hear it, a rare gem today.

self service is not a vote winner, we need more gems...:)

PS
Speaker Martin was very red in the face and a bully....

FOI? Not the Governments Intention to bypass mmmmmm
Did speaker Martin also receive 30,000 lessons to learn how to dodge direct questions? The Truth will out…

john jones

re post @3.47 sorry 'proving the point the public are idiots' how so? Just because the 'public' don't agree with your priorities does not make them idiots. Expenses are pretty serious but then so is a county making itself look pretty shabby over the treatment of honourable men. 'why cant we have some sort of ruling elite?' Seriously? Such as? Russia ?Burma? The sort of ruling elite that has just trousered a small fortune in bent expenses?.

John Levett

Joanna Lumley and the Gurkhas have a recognition and popularity that most politicians can only dream of - it doesn't mean to say that those who have expressed concern about their lot have actually considered all the arguments.

There is an apathy to intellectual thought in this country and is the reason that we are in the process of throwing away our civil liberties.

The chances are that if you conducted the same poll this afternoon, the majority would be more concerned about the break-up of the marriage of some Z-list celebrities.

Susan Hill

This is total bollocks. Everyone I know and all the people in Tesco`s cafe this morning were talking about and reading about the expenses. The Gurkhas is a done deal, people loved the Lumley /Woolas moment and decided it was all sewn up Nothing to talk about. Who do these people interview ?

kinglear

Bob.India -sorry = missed a bit, supposed to be "the government's treatment of the Gurkhas....
But don't forget the Gurkha Welfare Trust still looking after more than 10,000 in Nepal - at least as important as the numbers that can come to this country. Donate at WWW.GWT.ORG.UK !

Ian C

The public (we) expect politicians to have the integrity of a snot-ball. So the expenses thing is no surprise and the Gurkhas story resonates very clearly.

You should not be surprised.

John Page

Er ... "1074 adults were interviewed by email between 8 - 11 May 2009".

The expenses story is still developing. It might be different if the poll were repeated tonight.

Johnny D

This is not a suprise. People hold MP's in such contempt that it does not come as a shock that they are all corrupt. Gurkhas however are loved as are the Military in general. Feelings are running very high outside the Westminster Village re: Gurkha issue. MP's expenses, Gurkhas it's all bad for the Government.

Tomtom

The Gurkha issue is political dynamite. It touches issues that get people very worked up. Mainly immigration and more importantly how many immigrants have come to this country under this LABOUR Government.

Richard

Kinglear - I kinda thought you had but you got me thinking. Good man - be nice to your daughters dude, it'll help!

logdon

John Page
May 11th, 2009 6:48pm

Er ... "1074 adults were interviewed by email between 8 - 11 May 2009".

Precisely! Read the online readers comment on expenses, especially the Mail. The numbers are sky high.

And Lumley got the Ghurkas real justice, we're still waiting.

Michael Booth

Could I ask why Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness - both Sinn Fein MPs who refuse to sit in the British Parliament - are allowed to claim money from the British tax payer in order to carry out Parliamentary duties? Obviously I expect to be kneecapped for asking, but hey...