Over at the Channel 4 News politics website, Lib Dem blogger James Graham gives his brief take on the latest YouGov poll of Conservative-Labour marginals showing Labour on 36% (-2% since Oct ’08), the Tories on 43% (n/c) and the Lib Dems at 13% (+1%). Here’s an excerpt:
This poll tells us nothing about how the Lib Dems might be doing in terms of seats because of the constituencies chosen, but nonetheless it does give us some idea about how the party is doing in terms of fighting the ‘air war’. The headline figures show a small, albeit statistically insignificant, improvement in the party’s performance. What is more significant is that enthusiasm for both Brown and Cameron has cooled since October.
“People seem to be looking for an alternative. If this becomes a trend, Nick Clegg will be going into the next election with all to play for. What Nick needs to be doing over the next few months is presenting himself as a genuine alternative to the business as usual which both Brown and Cameron represent.
2 Comments
I find myself disappointed in the Liberals.
With the Tories so lacklustre and Labour so universally detestable, they have a very good and very unique opportunity.
If they were to find a more pragmatic mix between ideology and practicalities, heading straight for the political centre, then they would truly be a force to be reckoned with.
To claim that a change of 1 point in an opinion poll rating provides evidence – limited or otherwise – that the public is starting to notice Nick Clegg allegedly “hitting the right tone” must be one of the most outstandingly silly political comments of the year so far.