Whom do you trust more?

Verity

No, there isn't an "anti-political mood sweeping around the country". People don't trust either of the main contenders for the premiership of Britain is what it boils down to.

luke

Its interesting you and the BBC focused on the trust question. Given the current media narrative that probably is the most newsiest bit of the poll.

In the long-run though, I wonder if it isnt more significant that a very clear majority (67%) said that they WERE NOT prepared to see cuts in spending in order to pay down borrowing.

This seems very significant to me. It suggests that if the tories are to win the election they will have to either ramp up their current argument (and actually change peoples minds) or ramp it right down (and stay basically quiet on their core economic strategy).

If the latter, there is a real risk that in Government the tories will be wildly out of kilter with public sentiment on spending cuts vs debt.

Trevorsden

As much as anything else Cameron has to restore trust in politics. It has been shattered by the antics of Blair Brown and Mandelson (et al).

Quite frankly with the economy and finances in a mess - its not a question of if and when Cameron brings magical success that is important (there are limits to what he can do), but more a question of HOW he deals with it. And honesty is a major part of this.

It is indeed why we need a new government more than ever - since we need truth and honesty about the problems we face as well as the painful steps needed to correct them. It would of course be easy to demonise Labour even more than they deserve, I think that should be avoided not least because the honest facts speak very loudly themselves.

wonderfulforhisage

If you advertise yourself as the Heir to Blair it's hardly surprising the public tend not to trust you.

Dave B

I trust Mr Cameron's intentions, but I'll keep donating to the Tax Payers' Alliance. Belt and braces.

egh

Furthermore, contributors to the strand may be forgiven typos and infelicities of style - what with computers, informality, and time constraints. Professional journalists writing for the Spectator might, however, be held to higher standards.
"Whom do you trust" is correct; 'whom' being the accusative case of the pronoun. You require the accusative because the pronoun is the object of the verb 'trust.'

euSSR GO HOME

Oh - and you and the politicians might prefer to put it down to the expenses scandal you've all generated. Perhaps if you put it to the electorate you might find that they would prefer someone who'd give them a referendum about being ruled by the euSSR.

Sir Graphus

Gordon HAS let us down staggeringly badly in all ways. Dave merely hasn't let us down YET.

Therefore I trust Dave more. Hardly a ringing endorsement but it's enough to get my tick in the right box, particularly now Ian Taylor will be standing down as my MP.

WBG

What do you expect after close on 20 years of sleaze, smears government plots, counter plots, politicians lying and scandals?

Until a politican can demonstrate that he will change that part of the political culture people will not trust politicians.

It's not anti-politics, it's anti-the political culture that has fed the 'venue' of journalists for the last two decades or more.

Nicholas

I'm surprised Brown managed 37.5%.

OK, I'm not. I always knew this country had a bolshy minority into self-harm. The story of Britain since 1945 proves it. It is just a pity that this bolshy, barmy minority has had such a big say in our direction.

Occasional Ostrich

From the day El Gordo laid his filthy fingers on my (and others') pension funds, 'way back in 1997 he should have been a dead man walking. But this nation's press was so intrigued and besotted by the chimera that was New Labour that they never held him to account then, or ever since.

Rhoda Klapp

luke, none out of ten for comprehension as usual. The cuts question was schools and hospitals only. Had they talked of quangos and frreign aid they might have got a different answer.

Moraymint

Add me to the list of "Cameron is the lesser of two evils" please.

The Tories are still dick-dancing around the economic timebomb. I reckon they'll get voted in to power, swiftly be found wanting in the policy department and be forced to go rapidly into crisis management mode within 12 - 24 months of taking office.

If only the Tories would talk sense now, and then walk the talk when they get into Downing Street, the nation could avoid a socio-economic disaster half-way into the next parliament.

Right now, I'm optimistic that Brown and the Labour Party will be voted into oblivion. I'm pessimistic about the politics that will follow.

The mainstream media is not (yet) focusing hard enough on the looming socio-economic disaster that we face in the UK, nor on the woefully inadequate political proposals being put before us.

I fear that a proper understanding of Gordon Brown's appalling economic legacy is still only properly understood by a niche cognoscenti within our society. When the lumpenproletariat start experiencing the effects of the UK, er, running out of cash (for that's where we're heading), our political elite will be forced to wake up and smell the coffee.

Meantime, our politicians keep working on fooling themselves, each other and the rest of us.

This could hurt.

JONNY

Why on earth should people trust any politician?

Just you tell me. Because they don't.

Jock

Verity -
No, there isn't an "anti-political mood sweeping around the country".

Are you serious?!?!

I would accept that the anti-politics mood isn't new, in that it is a more or less the settled, permanent mood. However,the degree of anti-politics sentiment certainly is greater currently, with many passive apathetics converted to positive antis.

As for the Brown v Cameron thing, I think the polls are more about the reltiave degrees of antipathy and mistrust rather than the degree of positivism or trust.

The long standing reality is that parties are voted out,rather than in. If Labour go (when hopefully) it will be because people think their time is up rather than that the Tories time has come.

Sir Graphus

Luke points out the terrible fact from the survey that 67% said that they WERE NOT prepared to see cuts in spending in order to pay down borrowing.

67% would rather go bankrupt than suffer the tiniest drop in state provision of services. That really means that, even though they might vote out this Labour govt because it's bankrupted us, they'll vote in another one at the 1st dose of unpleasant medicine.

Jeremy

Do you remember John Steed from The Avengers? Well, the actor who played him was Patrick MacNee. And Macnee was (and still is) an Etonian. My point? They are both of the same school of charm, and it shines through in both of their performances. In his physiognomy also, Dave reminds me of Steed. If you put him in a bowler hat, dressed him in the right suit, and gave him an umbrella which also (like Steed's) contained a sword, he would be a damned good ringer.

It has to be Dave. Who else is there?

The only surprising thing is that 37.5 percent of those questioned would trust Gordon Brown with anything. That man is like Claudius from Hamlet - utterly corrupted and ruined within, but still pretending to reasonableness and integrity without.

john miller

It's this very problem that the Mandy inspired "Hackgate" is designed to diffuse.

Mind you, it is a bit rich coming from the Party that wants to read every email, listen to every phone conversation and video every movement I make.

Verity

Jock, I don't want Cameron to get the opportunity to get his tootsies under the desk at No 10 because once in, it will be nigh impossible to winkle this individual out.

Steve H

"Whom" do you trust more?!

For God's sake - are there no editors out there anymore?

Hysteria

Verity - not if Moraymint is right - if the Pinkish/Bluish lot do not address the fundamentals (Canada 20-30% cuts) then very quickly into the massive pain will come a reckoning that Mr Mediocrity will not be able to deal with.

My real concern, as posted many times before, is that I see no Reagan/Thatcher/Churchill etc figure to provide the lead to help us sort this mess out.
Hannan - nice chap, good ideas, but not the leader figure. IDS - ditto, Hague - not hungry enough; Who the hell is going to take the lead????

Tim Hedges

They're at the end of their work experience and they still haven't learned not to begin a sentence with 'basically'?

Tuppy

Haha! That's what the Spectator has it's work experience students do? "Here, chaps, clear out of the office, and go and talk to strangers in the street for the day. Phew."

Jock

Verity

All Tory Governments' time ended; all Labour Governments' time ended. All deserved to go in the end, all went in the end.

This Labout lot will go, and boy do they deserve to go.The next Tory lot will go - as day follows night.

Verity

And I'll tell you something else, the cowardly Tories made a tragic mistake in trying to remake William Hague according to the commands of Alastair Campbell, and tacitly agreeing with Campbell's ridicule.

Had they stuck with Hague and dismissed Campbell, instead of cowering and whimpering, the Tories would have won.

People liked Mr Hague. He should never have been advised to attend Nottinghill Carnival (I wonder who advised it) and should never have been advised to wear a baseball cap (I wonder who advised it).

Both those photo ops were contrary to everything Mr Hague stands for. He has made a success for himself in the world outside Westminster, although turncoat Dave still wants him on the front bench because he is such an exceptional performer.

The Tories cowered and stabbed themselves in the back twice. Once by dismissing Hague. Twice by not voting for Davis, but by bending the knee to the socialists and voting the Heir to Blair in.

How much lower can the Tories grovel?

JONNY

Ah yes,
the William Hague.
The twelve days, three hours and forty five minutes to save the Pound Man.

Nice try But
I don't quite quite think so Verity.
(And he couldn't even quite manage to handle Harriet Harman at PMQs.)