Which is most to blame for the cuts? (YouGov)	CON-LD coalition %	Last Labour government %	Both of them %	Neither %
10/01/11	22	40	25	8
11/12/10	23	41	24	7
15/11/10	22	43	23	7
07/10/10	17	47	20	10
20/09/10	21	44	22	7
06/09/10	22	45	20	6
31/08/10	23	45	20	6
16/08/10	22	45	21	6
02/08/10	22	45	20	6
19/07/10	21	48	19	7
05/07/10	21	44	21	8
23/06/10	18	49	18	9

Or could his links with Brown make it worse?

This polling series from YouGov seeks to find out who voters blame for the spending cuts – the coalition, Labour, both or neither.

For although almost all individual measures get negative responses it’s the big picture represented by responses to question like this which might be a good pointer to the next general election. The whole coalition strategy has been to blame Labour and these findings suggest that ministers are continuing to “win” on this.

But the the gap has been narrowing. Labour, with Alan Johnson as shadow chancellor, was making progress as the most recent findings show.

Will then Ed Balls be able to continue that trend or will his close links with Gordon Brown prove to be a stumbling block? There’s a lot that can be thrown at him but he’s very good at throwing it back.

My view is that a Ed’s combative style doesn’t help him. People much prefer the lower key self-deprecating approach that Alan Johnson used to personify. Somehow AJ was plausible in a way that Balls, at the moment at least, is not.

Mike Smithson