Polls find huge support for protecting services


by Sunny Hundal    
August 18, 2010 at 9:45 am

Labour may have lost the debate on the deficit, for now, but that doesn’t mean people agree with the scale and the type of cuts carried out by the government.

These two graphs were in a big Ipsos-Mori survey of the Coalition’s first 100 days.

Yesterday Ed Balls said:

By cutting the deficit this quickly and this sharply thousands of public and private sector jobs will be lost, the recovery could be stalled and we risk a double-dip recession. George Osborne got the big judgement wrong three years ago when we took action to stop recession turning into depression. He is making the wrong calls again now.

Labour needs strong leadership to set out that there is an alternative based on a clear plan to support jobs and growth, a more sensible timetable for deficit reduction, and a robust explanation of why that will better support our economy and public finances for the long term future of our country.

The polls above show much more support for the stance taken by Ed Balls over that of George Osborne.


---------------------------
      


About the author
Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
· Other posts by
Filed under
News


38 Comments || Add yours below

  • We have a tight comments policy aimed at fostering constructive debate.
  • We believe in free speech but not your right to abuse our space.
  • Abusive, sarcastic or silly comments may be deleted.
  • Misogynist, racist, homophobic and xenophobic comments will be deleted.
  • Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy.


Reader comments


1. Roger Mexico

Sunny

Do I have to keep repeating myself about the IPSOS-Mori report? A rudimentary scrutiny will show that the last polling information that is used in it comes from 23-25 July. So instead of being:

The Coalition’s First 100 Days/
The public’s verdict

it should be:

The Coalition’s First 73 Days
Some random statistics from a total of two polls we’re putting out and pretending that makes a trend because we couldn’t find anyone to pay for 100 days survey

I know it’s got lots of pwetty pictures, but it’s basically just touting for trade. Consider who it’s touting for trade to, before you accept its narrative. (I believe all Lib Con comments must contain that word).

I’m not just being picky, it’s important to understand the public’s up to date and actually quite subtle reactions to potential cuts. Those who want to oppose or modify the Osborne-led “the deficit must be destroyed” narrative, need to be able to respond in a way that people can believe. Jumping up and down chanting “no cuts” or saying you’d do the same but with a nicer smile won’t work.

There are first 90-something days polls here:

http://today.yougov.co.uk/sites/today.yougov.co.uk/files/YG-Archives-Pol-Sun-coalition-160810.pdf

and here:

http://www.harrisinteractive.com/europe/news/pubs/7968tab_V2_weighted_130810.pdf

plus the ICM one in today’s Guardian (details should appear today or tomorrow linked from here:

http://www.icmresearch.co.uk/media-centre-polls.php

2. Galen10

All this shows is that people want an easy life, and don’t like making hard decisions. They want to have their cake and eat it. The tragedy is that there is no effective opposition making a radical case for HOW such services are to be insulated without raising taxes.

The general public are quite adept at saying one thing to pollsters such as that they think cuts should be introduced gradually, or that priority should be given to protecting services for those most in need, and acting in quite a different way when it comes to voting for parties which support such policies.

As even one of the Millibands was forced to admit yesterday on the radio, Labour before the election signally failed to say how they would do things differently… and I’m still waiting to hear how they would!

3. Flowerpower

What’s going on here is a kind of propaganda blowback.

It works like this:
Sunny, Ed Balls and other left activists compose a narrative that says the LibCon coalition is a bunch of ideologically driven heartless bastards who are dead set on slashing frontline services and hurting the most vulnerable.

Then, when market research surfaces showing that the public don’t want valuable frontline services cut and wish to protect the most vulnerable, Sunny and his friends step forward claiming to have won over public support.

The problem is that the Coalition plan explicitly pledged all along to seek to protect the most vulnerable and to target cuts on unnecessary, inefficient or downright foolish areas of spending while protecting vital frontline activities.

Of course, no one wants valuable services cut. Least of all the government. That’s why health spending is ring-fenced and more money will flow directly to schools, bypassing the education bureaucracy. That’s why people who need jobs will be helped to work rather than be imprisoned in the benefits trap.

4. Roger Mexico

Update to comment 1 for those who care (ie Sunny Hundal, Don Paskini and me). ICM poll details are now here:

http://www.icmresearch.co.uk/pdfs/2010_august_guardian_august_100days_poll.pdf

Also there’s a new ComRes out for the Mirror:

http://www.comres.co.uk/systems/file_download.aspx?pg=632&ver=2

They often ask different questions or the same question in different ways, but that can be useful. With four different, quite comprehensive polls at the same time, you can look at opinion through the slightly different questions and get a sort of polling 3D effect.

5. Sunny Hundal

Roger Mexico – there are loads of polls out at the moment. Well done for establishing that. However in order to contradict what is shown in this poll, you’ll actually have to show polls that disagree with the above. Do you have anything?

All this shows is that people want an easy life, and don’t like making hard decisions.

Actually this is bollocks. There are sound economic arguments for doing exactly what the public supports above – and it’s right of Labour to make that case in opposing the Coalition’s cuts.

6. Mark M

Call me stupid, but I don’t see the link between the answers given and government policy. Ok, 69% think spending should be cut in a way that protects services, but what percentage think spending is being cut too fast?

All these polls show is that people are like Goldilocks – they don’t want spending cut too fast, they don’t want it cut too slow, they want it just right.


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
  1. Liberal Conspiracy

    Polls find huge public support for protecting services http://bit.ly/aI2I0b

  2. sunny hundal

    Polls find huge public support for protecting services instead of cutting now: http://bit.ly/aI2I0b (@edballsmp)

  3. Matt Leys

    RT @sunny_hundal: Polls find huge public support for protecting services instead of cutting now: http://bit.ly/aI2I0b (@edballsmp)

  4. John Latham

    RT @sunny_hundal: Polls find huge public support for protecting services instead of cutting now: http://bit.ly/aI2I0b (@edballsmp)

  5. Andy Sutherland

    RT @sunny_hundal: Polls find huge public support for protecting services instead of cutting now: http://bit.ly/aI2I0b (@edballsmp)

  6. AdamRamsay

    RT @sunny_hundal: Polls find huge public support for protecting services instead of cutting now: http://bit.ly/aI2I0b (@edballsmp)

  7. Tam Chandler

    RT @libcon: Polls find huge public support for protecting services http://bit.ly/aI2I0b

  8. yorkierosie

    RT @sunny_hundal: Polls find huge public support for protecting services instead of cutting now: http://bit.ly/aI2I0b (@edballsmp)

  9. Nick Watts

    RT @libcon: Polls find huge public support for protecting services http://bit.ly/aI2I0b

  10. Clare Cochrane

    RT @AdamRamsay @sunny_hundal: Polls find huge public support for protecting services instead of cutting http://bit.ly/aI2I0b (@edballsmp)

  11. Gideon Thomas

    RT @libcon: Polls find huge public support for protecting services http://bit.ly/aI2I0b

  12. Bob Johns

    RT @sunny_hundal: Polls find huge public support for protecting services instead of cutting now: http://bit.ly/aI2I0b (@edballsmp)

  13. Ellie Gellard

    Must read! RT @sunny_hundal: Polls find huge public support for protecting services instead of cutting now: http://bit.ly/aI2I0b @edballsmp

  14. Peter Bolton

    Polls find huge public support for protecting services | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/zHFAMky via @libcon

  15. Fatbury

    RT @BevaniteEllie: Must read! RT @sunny_hundal: Polls find huge public support for protecting services instead of cutting now: http://bit.ly/aI2I0b @edballsmp

  16. Jonathan Davies

    RT @libcon Polls find huge public support for protecting services http://bit.ly/aI2I0b #ukpolitics #labour #ConDem

  17. Chris Paul

    RT @BevaniteEllie: Must read! RT @sunny_hundal: Polls find huge public support for protecting services instead of cutting now: http://bit.ly/aI2I0b @edballsmp

  18. Roy Bailey

    RT @BevaniteEllie: Must read! RT @sunny_hundal: Polls find huge public support for protecting services instead of cutting now: http://bit.ly/aI2I0b @edballsmp

  19. Nautilus in Red

    RT @sunny_hundal: Polls find huge public support for protecting services instead of cutting now: http://bit.ly/aI2I0b (@edballsmp)

  20. MervynDinnen

    Polls show that majority are NOT behind the scale and type of ConDem cutting http://bit.ly/bBJKma

  21. Michael Carty

    RT @MervynDinnen: Polls show that majority are NOT behind the scale and type of ConDem cutting http://bit.ly/bBJKma

  22. Elaine Young

    RT @MJCarty: RT @MervynDinnen: Polls show that majority are NOT behind the scale and type of ConDem cutting http://bit.ly/bBJKma

  23. Why Alistair Darling is wrong | Liberal Conspiracy

    [...] and the Treasury think that something is important does not mean that the majority of people agree with them. ————————- Share this [...]

  24. Ed Balls

    The road ahead… RT @sunny_hundal: Polls find huge public support for protecting services instead of cutting now: http://bit.ly/aI2I0b

  25. Paul Duxbury

    RT @edballsmp: RT @sunny_hundal: Polls find huge public support for protecting services instead of cutting now: http://bit.ly/aI2I0b

  26. Chris Mandella

    http://liberalconspiracy.org/2010/08/18/polls-find-huge-public-support-for-protecting-services/

  27. Jos Bell

    RT @edballsmp: The road ahead… RT @sunny_hundal: Polls find huge public support for protecting services instead of cutting now: http://bit.ly/aI2I0b

  28. Vivi

    RT @edballsmp: The road ahead… RT @sunny_hundal: Polls find huge public support for protecting services instead of cutting now: http://bit.ly/aI2I0b

  29. Vernon Coaker MP

    RT @edballsmp: The road ahead… RT @sunny_hundal: Polls find huge public support for protecting services instead of cutting now: http://bit.ly/aI2I0b

  30. Lucy Proctor

    RT @edballsmp: The road ahead… RT @sunny_hundal: Polls find huge public support for protecting services instead of cutting now: http://bit.ly/aI2I0b

  31. Sandra N.

    RT @BevaniteEllie: Must read! RT @sunny_hundal: Polls find huge public support for protecting services instead of cutting now: http://bit.ly/aI2I0b @edballsmp

  32. Johanna Baxter

    RT @sunny_hundal: Polls find huge public support for protecting services instead of cutting now: http://bit.ly/aI2I0b





  • We have a tight comments policy aimed at fostering constructive debate.
  • We believe in free speech but not your right to abuse our space.
  • Abusive, sarcastic or silly comments may be deleted.
  • Misogynist, racist, homophobic and xenophobic comments will be deleted.
  • Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy.

 
Liberal Conspiracy is the UK's most popular left-of-centre politics blog. Our aim is to re-vitalise the liberal-left through discussion and action. More about us here.

You can read articles through the front page, via Twitter or RSS feed. You can also get them by email and through our Facebook group.
RECENT OPINION ARTICLES




How useful is Tesco’s u-turn on Workfare?
62 Comments



Watch: Obama sings the blues at White House
15 Comments



Why is YouGov’s Kellner endorsing the NHS bill?
23 Comments



‘Move Your Money’ planned against RBS
10 Comments



Rupert Murdoch cheers Rick Santorum to win
24 Comments



Labour: public pay won’t be frozen entirely
19 Comments



Revealed: That ‘dossier’ on Progress
17 Comments



Is Guardian as bad as Tesco on experience?
83 Comments



Bigots launch coalition against gay marriage
204 Comments



Revealed: other companies benefit from ‘work experience’
85 Comments



 LATEST COMMENTS
» TimJ posted on The real agenda behind Telegraph's abortion investigation

» TimJ posted on The real agenda behind Telegraph's abortion investigation

» Sheila Taylor posted on Revealed: That 'dossier' on Progress

» Michael Swann posted on Bigots launch coalition against gay marriage

» Spike1138 posted on The real agenda behind Telegraph's abortion investigation

» Chaise Guevara posted on The real agenda behind Telegraph's abortion investigation

» Andreas Moser posted on Ten weeks to London's election: where Ken needs to improve

» Robin Levett posted on The real agenda behind Telegraph's abortion investigation

» Chaise Guevara posted on The real agenda behind Telegraph's abortion investigation

» Women are being granted illegal abortions in UK, investigation reveals: TBIJ posted on The real agenda behind Telegraph's abortion investigation

» Spike1138 posted on The real agenda behind Telegraph's abortion investigation

» LondonJ posted on Workfare - what does the evidence show?

» pagar posted on The real agenda behind Telegraph's abortion investigation

» the a&e charge nurse posted on The real agenda behind Telegraph's abortion investigation

» Watchman posted on The real agenda behind Telegraph's abortion investigation