Ed Miliband should have supported the public sector strike. He is avoiding being labelled 'Red Ed' by the Condems! He must show more back bone.

With over 50% support for the public sector workers, Not Red Ed should have supported the strike. He would not have gained support from potential Tory voters but he might have begun to waken the millions of disillusioned working class voters who have deserted Labour for a no vote or worse a vote for the parties of the far right.

We are faced by onslaught after onslaught: massive national debt, huge waisted borrowing before 2008, enormous structural deficit, UK Industry run down by the last government, Euro collapsing, crackpot opposition who want to borrow vast amounts in a giveaway of voter treats to win power.

@Matt

Foxy, no need to ask where you put your paw print (against the one with the nicest picture).

"How on God's beautiful earth are Lib Dems on 14%?"

Sounds like the coalition are strong, stable and have depth when the Libdems and Tories are combined.

Labour is not my Party, but having seen my own saddled with a leader who was never in a million years going to become Prime Minister of this country, Iain Duncan Smith, I can tell you with full authority that Ed Miliband fits into this category very comfortably indeed.

For Kenneth Clarke read David Miliband. Very silly.

Hi guys,

Remember New Labour offers more than poll ratings. New Labour was about Education, Education and Education.

These 'sons of Brown' have no idea and I such to all believers in New Labour should back David Miliband.

I must point out to New Labour Believers that New Labour will be offering wisdom and knowledge in our New Labour Ministry.

Its Miliband. He is utterly useless and has to go. No miliband and labour would have a comfortable lead. And Gerry, the public most certainly do not back the austerity pland or the latest budget.Lots of evidence that many of them agree with public sector workers too and are cottoning on to the blatant lies told by the government about pensions. The poll could not be clearer? How come i, and many others, think differently from you? Its about miliband being weak and ineffectual. No Miliband and labour would be way ahead.Not that I necessarily think that would be a good thing but anything at all is preferable to that scumbag osbourne.

It's genuinely amusing how many right wing loonies there are so desperate to react to any article on the NS. They sound like a child desperately seeking the approval of the 'in crowd'.

I am afraid that although Ed seems to be a genuinely decent man he is not really a leader. I believe that within 2 years Yvette Cooper will be the leader and people will warm to her especially the women who have been turned off by Coalition machismo politics.

"You just can't face the facts when the shit hits the fan the public trust the tories to do the right thing however painful."

Yea right, because they are doing such a good job of not borrowing and helping the economy grow, and making sure the banking system is safe (well maybe after 2019).

Get real

In reply to whatever - the fact we have interest rates below Germany is an amazing achievement, the deficit is coming down - slower than we'd like but things are improving. The banks are in a healthier state and the private sector has some slack. All we need is for the Eurozone to sort itself out, inflation to fall and confidence will return.

The public spending cuts are absolutely necessary, the left are living in delusion and that's why I say at times of strife people turn to the right as is the case right throughout Europe. Recent example Spain.

It's no coincidence - the tough medicine being enacted would be tougher for left leaning administrations and that's why they always leave a bad legacy because they can't say 'no.' History is a great guide here and modern history shows that people don't like tough medicine but they understand the need for it.

Do you think a tory Gov enjoys putting members of the armed forces on the dole? No of course not, but it's necessary. In 2015 the tories will win, just get used to it.

Strong, Stable and Depth, three words never used to describe you Inbrew.

Dangerous game, to form an opinion on one poll, but then again, your not that particulary bright.

Peter writes, 'The Labour party needs to understand Britain has changed.'

Sorry Peter, you've come to the wrong place - this isn't the Most Meaningless Political Statement of 2011 Competition.

Lets wait until the cuts start to hit the 10 bob Tories and then see.

I'm not a fan of polls. They tend to reflect whatever those who commissioned them want them to. But I have to say that Milliband is a nonentity. Not impressed.

Like I've said before, polls are polls, nothing more. I wouldn't trust them until the last minute when they matter.

@fraziel1 - "Lots of evidence that many of them agree with public sector workers too" - do you have any links about this? I certainly didn't vote for the strikes.

@PhilM - "With EdM at the helm, Labour doesn't have a hope. I cringe when Cameron floors him at PMQs." - I think PMQ's are pretty even, Ed has his moments of nit picking some stats to head a surprise surprise show and still we don't see any firm evidence of conviction of their policies, since they haven't got any. One thing that did make me cringe was last week's PMQs where you can see Ed so clearly desperate and eager to ask the next question like a little school boy in his posh uni.

@tuttifrutti - "Ed Miliband's tactics, he appears to me a far more sincere person" - you're joking right? sincere? you must be having a laugh.

@Marco - I agree (with most of it) - the reality here is that the Tories have always stood for businesses and to the much hate from Labour they see this as wealth creation. If businesses do well, they employ people and the rest will gradually come. So you see that the rich will back the Tories and Labour just hate the rich.

Labour on the other hand has always stood for the poor. I'm not saying don't help them but the amount of money Labour handed out in benefits is shocking. It was just so easy for people to claim it and now we see an unsustainable public sector. It needs to be cut, oh but people have been so used to having it year on year that they now suffer. It's no good just borrowing money and throwing it down the drain like Labour has done. Before you say it... Labour had 10 booming years to reform it all... they failed.

Labour isn't out in the lead because it doesn't offer leadership. It doesn't offer the alternative vision we all need. EdM has been browbeaten into backing the same failed Bliarite (Thatcherite) policies his brother would have supported, so he has made Labour an irrelevance. Just another neoliberal party, which wouldn't be doing anything else in office, just privatising the public services, protecting the City and squeezing the poorest and most vulnerable.

another option could be that there was such widespread coverage of the good things in the autumn statement,before it, that the extra publicity increased support for the tories.

i have noticed, in the past, that when there is a big news stories about a government, that isn't negative, support seems to increase, just because of the extra publicity generated.

I have no idea why, but knowing why is not what's important here.