Ed Miliband has to shake off the blame within two years or else Labour won’t win outright
The time is starting to run out
I make no apologies for returning to this subject once again but I regard the above “blame for the cuts” findings as more important than voting intention numbers or leader ratings in pointing to the outcome of the next general election.
The Opinium poll for the Observer at the weekend had very similar numbers with just 29% of those sampled blaming the coalition. Today’s YouGov for the Sun has Labour back with an 9% lead on voting intention but falling behind a net four points more in the “blame game” tracker.
Quite simply if by the election barely a quarter of voters blame the coalition for the cuts then Osborne, or whoever is chancellor, has a much easier task.
- The fact that Labour continues to be held responsible in spite of the omnishambles of George’s March budget is striking and suggests that the party’s message is not getting across.
This afternoon Ed makes his big speech. What he says about the economy and this widespread perception is crucial.
In October 2014 we’ll be only six months away from the general election. Time is starting to run out.
Mike Smithson
For the latest polling news from the US and UK