Roll with the Polls
24th Mar 2011
"We live in an age where the near ubiquitous use of polls provides us with a continual update on the popularity or otherwise of the Government (or pretty much anything else you care to think of). The ten months following the last general election have been no different.
Discussions around fortunes of the Coalition since the 2010 election with leading pollsters YouGov earlier this week confirmed what has been apparent for some time - that public support for the Government is steadily eroding. Of course, this isn’t entirely to be unexpected. Any government embarking on a programme of austerity measures in an attempt to tackle the UK’s deficit would be likely to find itself in a similar position. Reductions in spending and negative press coverage over cuts to public services appear to be contributing to a general sense of unhappiness over the direction and performance of the Coalition.
Should the Coalition partners be worried about this? Whilst the situation is currently looking bleak for the Liberal Democrats, the threat to the Conservatives may be somewhat overstated. It is very easy to forget that whilst Blair achieved the remarkable success of avoiding major mid-term blues, for most administrations they are the norm and are not necessarily a precursor to electoral failure. In fact, the opposite is often true, with Blair’s immediate predecessors in Major and Thatcher both enduring appalling ratings in the polls before going on to win elections.
For the time being, the idea that the governing parties are destined for electoral suicide remains unfounded, and for public affairs professionals involved in the strategic planning of long term campaigns, preparing for all future eventualities remains as vitally important as ever."
Simon Darby - Account Executive