A poll battering for Brown, but it's not good news for Miliband either
Peter Hoskin 9:56pm
The Telegraph have just posted the results of their latest YouGov poll. It has the Tories a hefty 22 points ahead of Labour. And Brown's personal ratings are disastrous. Only 15 percent of voters think he's up the job; 65 percent believe he's an electoral liability; and 45 percent say that Labour's chances would improve were Brown replaced. The list goes on.
All good news for David Miliband, surely? No, not really. The poll finds that Labour would do no better were Miliband in charge - in fact, the Tory lead would go up to 23 points. And other potential leaders would fare little better. Jack Straw would reduce the gap to 21 points, whilst Ed Balls would open it up to a massive 33 points (and put Labour in third, behind the Lib Dems, in the process). Only one Anthony Blair would do anything like damage to the Tories' advantage, reducing it to 9 points. Even so, it means Cameron would beat all-comers.
It's the kind of poll result that will give Labour MPs the cold sweats. On this evidence, Brown will lead them to electoral oblivion. But there's no obvious replacement, no-one who can do much better. The implication is that voters don't want one Labour Prime Minister to be replaced by another. They want the entire governing party swept aside.
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Comments
Neil Mc
July 31st, 2008 10:54pmIf I am not mistaken only Blair would stop the Tories from getting an overall majority, ah well... 'twas ever thus.
Carol-Ann
July 31st, 2008 10:55pmThank God (for us Tories) Labour have rid themselves of their best ever electoral asset, one Anthony Charles Lynton Blair.
Kerry
July 31st, 2008 10:57pmThey didn't ask the voters about Harman. Sexism from the Telegraph, hardly suprising.
Disillusioned
July 31st, 2008 11:15pmIf you were Miliband you'd surely argue that voters haven't yet gotten to know you and that you'd improve the overall direction of government. It would be interesting to see the cross tabs on voter recognition of other names versus Brown and Blair.
Joe Mooney
July 31st, 2008 11:34pmI think Miliband moved too soon. However, I think that someone should start a Save Gordon Brown Campaign.
Tony
August 1st, 2008 12:47amThe whelk stall beckons, Culpability Brown!
Do you think you're up to the challenge?
Fergus Pickering
August 1st, 2008 5:00amThis Blair stuff just shows you how absurd public opinion can be. Whatit mwans, I suppose, is that peple wish things in the world were what they were year back when everybody thought (rightly) that Blair was a lying, conniving git. Or should I say, ANOTHER lying, conniving git.
Edward Rivers
August 1st, 2008 9:20amIt is so satisfying to see the begins of a great Labour schism. The Gordonites vs the Milibands, and epic political tragedy brought to you by New Labour. brillant!
Ben Elford
August 1st, 2008 9:35amDid the poll also confirm the religious affiliation of the pope? Changing the leader would imporve Labour's chances at the next election only in the dreams of the Parliamentary Labour Party.
They still can't accept that it's themselves the voters no longer want, no matter who leads them.
cat osb
August 1st, 2008 9:42am"They want the entire governing party swept aside". Quite so. Why is it that the labour party is having such difficulty understanding this simple truth?
They can play musical chairs with as many of their senior muppetts as they like, write fine words in newspapers and all the other tired tricks of the politican's trade, but everyone (supporters included) can see that this government is now seriously well past their sell by date and beginning to stink rather badly.
David C
August 1st, 2008 10:19amJoe:
forget Brown.
What they really need to start is a 'Save the Labour Party ' campaign.
The more Brown reasserts his authority over these non-entities in his cabinet, the more the public ceases to distinguish between him and the Party (these polls show it is already happening).
In May 2010, the electorate are going to destroy Brown and the Party along with him.
It is possible that Labour thinks it can dump Brown in September next year, but by that time, all hope that they can formulate any sort of coherent message in time for an election will have vapourised.
Frank Pulley
August 1st, 2008 11:09amThere's still two years to go; that's 104 'weeks in politics'. Let's not get too complacent or 2010 may be the Year of the Omelette Faces. Just keep up the ridicule and don't let up! BTW where is Rory Bremner? He's been strangely silent throughout this year's debacle. Did he hang up his boots when Blair went down? Perhaps he's just no good at doing Brown?
Familiar Clown
August 2nd, 2008 5:07pmFrank, I didn't think Rory's Brown was all that good on this:
http://www.politicalchick.co.uk/2007/03/25/rory-bremner-does-the-budget/
Frank Pulley
August 3rd, 2008 12:54amFC
Tks. I hadn't seen that before. I agree with you: he looks like Peter Oborne doing Fraser Nelson
(figuratively speaking, of course). Badly written, too.