The Staggers

The New Statesman’s rolling politics blog

The coalition's approval rating falls 11 per cent in a day

Approval for the coalition falls from +4 to -7 in wake of fees announcement.

By George Eaton Published 14 October 2010 13:08

It hasn't been the best of weeks for the coalition. David Cameron was the loser from his first PMQs bout with Ed Miliband (as even the Sun grudgingly admits) and the Lib Dems have been badly divided by the Browne report, with MPs in university seats particularly rebellious. Meanwhile, the latest daily YouGov poll shows that the government's approval rating has fallen by a remarkable 11 per cent in a single day.

Poll

After rising for much of the conference season, approval for the coalition fell from +4 to -7 per cent. The poll could, of course, be an outlier but the fact that support for Labour rose four points to 40 per cent (albeit from a low of 36 per cent) is suggestive.

Vince Cable's Damascene conversion to higher tuition fees is likely to have further alienated his party's supporters, for whom free education has become a totemic issue. Lib Dem support has fallen to 11 per cent, their joint lowest rating since 2007, and the poll found that 45 per cent of voters oppose the Browne plan, with 37 per cent in favour.

The double whammy of child benefit cuts and higher tuition fees may yet push the "squeezed middle" towards Ed Miliband.

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16 comments

Thu, 2010-10-14 23:58 — Jodie (not verified)

wouldn't say labour are a 'real government'- conservatives may be costing us more money by these funding cuts (which labour may have had to do,too) but they cost our country in lives by sending our soldiers to unnecessary wars. Any better? I don't think so, they're both rubbish to be honest.

Thu, 2010-10-14 13:22 — swatantra nandanwar

Cameron Clegg and Cable must be relieved they are still in double figures and with Ming and Kennedy revolting against the increase in fees they are likely to sink to even further depths. Hopefully the disillusioned will drift back to Labour, but the danger is that like in the USA a grassroots organisation like the Tea Party may well be born, as people show their fedupness with the traditional Parties.

Thu, 2010-10-14 13:29 — crabstix (not verified)

swatantra nandanwar, we already have an equivalent of the Tea Party... its known as the BNP, and of course bits of UKIP.

Thu, 2010-10-14 13:35 — Marcus (not verified)

Too much attention to daily polls does not do anyone any good.

Daily polls are based around reporting and all reporters are biased.

Thu, 2010-10-14 13:42 — CrISpY DuCk

Even I have long admired the Lib Dems Education Policy before I realised they were lying.This U turn is sickening and could push them back out to the peripheries of British politics as the public learn that they can't even trust them to honour totem policy.

Nick Clegg 2009

He said the recession had made it "more difficult to find the money to fund our priorities".

"That's why we are right to adapt our plans for big spending commitments and why it is right that our general election manifesto will focus this time on a smaller number of key commitments.

"But our message to students is clear: we remain the only party that believes fees are unfair, and the only party with a plan to get rid of them for good."

Thu, 2010-10-14 14:18 — alan (not verified)

I'm very tribal and when the Labour party started to encourage "tactical" voting the alarm bells rang,because i've always thought if we ever did have a close election we'd end up with a government like this one,something no one voted for nor i suspect wants.

Watching Simon Hughes on newsnight was cringworthy,how he can try to defend this is staggering,the libdems have been caught napping to sign a pledge then renege on it makes look either incompitent or look like liars and i dont think they're liars intentionally at any rate they're just utterly not up to the job to me its that simple,this nonsense that they "didn't know how bad it was" doesn't wash with me the figures being bandied about in the first months of the year where more or less right so they must have known how grim it was surely?.

I always thought Ming would stay the course but i have to say i'm shocked at Kennedy's quietness in all of this,pledge after pledge policy after policy from the libdems burned but he says nothing i know he has personal problems with the wife and all but i'm still shocked he's said nothing much about this.

Thu, 2010-10-14 14:25 — Lou (not verified)

@Alan,

Simon Hughes was so evasive when trying to deal with the question posed to him it was indeed cringeworthy.

I believe Kennedy is going to vote against it.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/oct/14/kennedy-against-tuition-...

Thu, 2010-10-14 14:29 — saltyseadog1

I think a lot of people are waiting to see the harsh realities that next weeks ConDem spending review bring. When that happens I think the faeces shall well and truly hit the proverbial fan and non fan alike. I doubt the coalition will last much longer after that.

Thu, 2010-10-14 14:51 — alan (not verified)

Thanks for the link Lou i thought Kennedy had been far too quiet on this issue.

@saltyseadog

You're right the excretia will indeed hit the fan next week i don't think people know whats coming its been paper talk,jolly Nick Robinson talking about cuts in that oh so nice way of his on the news,next week it starts to impact lives.

And you know what,in my gut i feel will happen and when the next election will be called? 2015 that's when.

Power is something not easily given up and given the libdems will,surely be utterly unelectable next time round after this they'll want there season in the sun

Thu, 2010-10-14 17:11 — A Brown (not verified)

Nick Clegg seems hell bent on turning the lib dems into a free market orange book rump a la the german FDP.

The shit will soon hit the fan for this coalition like it has already in Germany.

Thu, 2010-10-14 17:30 — Sue Davies (not verified)

I too think that this coalition is likely to run the 5ys and I am horrified to think of what that means in people's suffering unnecessarily.

What also bothers me is that voter's will forget this period of time just as they did with Thatcher's cuts. The so-called free press has much to answer for.

Thu, 2010-10-14 18:28 — Tessa (not verified)

Not surprising that the polls are not good for the Coalition. Just what kind of mandate does it think it has for these policies. It is very disingenuous for it to continue to state that unless we cut we will be like Greece. Suggest that people read the economist Stiglitz for his views on this policy. We seem to be heading for a rerun of the 1930s and we all know how that ended - with war.

Fri, 2010-10-15 17:46 — Robert Taggart

Another 4.5 years till the only that matters.

re: ET ! Now be the time (and next wednesday also) to do their worst. After another two years of such they will hopefully change tack, in plenty of time for the next election... and victory !

Thu, 2010-10-14 19:24 — ang (not verified)

Alan: No just say it how it is 'THE SHIT WILL HIT THE FAN'.

But you know I have a feeling that the tories are going to backtrack on this, due to the public disquiet.

Thu, 2010-10-14 19:50 — jillian (not verified)

Having long told Liberals that their party are just yellow tories, I take little pleasure in suggesting they all finally come to their senses and VOTE LABOUR for a real government.