Much excitement, today, about the fact that Ed Miliband is just as unpopular as Nick
Clegg. A pre-Budget package by Ispos-MORI contains the finding that both party leaders are actively disliked by 51 per cent of the public. It’s a striking result, particularly after the tuition fee
furore — yet, sadly, it isn’t new. It actually comes from the political monitor that Ipsos MORI
released in January. They didn’t ask the question for their March political monitor.
So far as the Clegg-Miliband divide goes, the latest Ipsos MORI figures actually have this to offer us: net satisfaction with Miliband’s performance as party leader is at -5 per cent, whereas it’s at -22 per cent for Nick Clegg. So, not great for either leader, but considerably better for MiliE. Couple that with the finding that Ed Balls is ahead of George Osborne (by one point) on who would make the “most capable chancellor,” and the Labour leadership might even be mildly happy with these latest results.
It’s not all wonderful for the red team, though. Ed Miliband is still lagging behind his party’s popularity, which will only fuel the nagging sense that their achievements are coming despite — rather than because of — his influence. And the Tories have closed the gap between the two parties to 4 percentage points. Still, the usual caveats apply about opinion polls so far from an election. There’s some time to go until the one that really counts.
Comments