Party Time
‘THERE are lies, politicians and statistics. And they all converge at general election time.
| ”You wearing my tie?” |
On the day Tony Blair will announce the date of the election, the papers take a look at how the main parties stand. And the news is interesting.
While Labour is ahead in each poll, and so on course to carry a large majority into the next parliament, the width of the lead is debatable.
The Times (Tory poll surge rattles Labour as battle begins) shows a Populus poll that puts the Tories on 35 per cent of the vote, a mere two per cent behind Labour.
In the interests of fairness, we note that the LibDems are on 19 per cent, a creditable score but nowhere near enough to make them genuine challengers for the top spot.
While Tony looks secure in his job, the Telegraph is right to say that the news will alarm some of those Labour MPs sitting on the very edge of their seats.
An ICM poll for the Guardian gives these precariously placed MPs little solace, showing them and its readers that the Labour lead has been cut from eight points to three points over the last month.
And an NOP poll for the Independent produces a similar picture. The paper (Labour lead falls away as Blair announces poll date) says on its front-page how since Labour enjoyed a 12-point advantage over its closest challenger in February, the impetus has been with the Tories.
Which goes to show that things are getting tense at the top. And that this election may be one of the most unpredictable ballots for a very long time.
So long as a cynical and shrinking electorate can be bothered to vote…
Paul Sorene is the Anorak’
Posted: 5th, April 2005 | In: Uncategorized Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
