Labour's summer fightback hopes dashed by new Guardian/ICM poll

[CookieMonster]

Ooh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

Delicious! The Tories have 16 point lead on Labour.

Labour's hopes of a summer fightback powered by economic recovery and the NHS row are dashed by a new Guardian/ICM poll showing that the Conservatives have gained ground on key policy areas and are now the overwhelming public choice to form the next government.

Despite a month of policy attacks from Gordon Brown's summer stand-ins at No 10, and controversy over the Conservative commitment to a state-funded NHS, the opposition has extended its lead to 16 points.

Labour has lost the August battle on health, with more voters thinking the Conservatives would improve the NHS than think the party would make it worse. While 48% think healthcare would be better under a Tory government, only 41% agree with Labour warnings that it would be worse. Even 24% of current Labour voters think the Tories would improve the NHS.

The Tory lead on other policies, including education, is bigger.

Labour's summer fightback hopes dashed by new Guardian/ICM poll | Politics | The Guardian

[MacCoise]

Interesting, 14% for others?

That seems quite high

[KingKane]

Oddly in the article they say the LibDems are down 1 but the graphic shows them up one.

[macdarawhitfield]

Broon lost it in 07.If he found a cure for cancer people would say 'yeah,that's cool - but why has he taken so long?' Unfair maybe but that's showbiz folks.

Can't wait to see Boy David royally screwing up.An empty suit. Everyone says how brilliant Vince Cable is.That makes 'em feel really mature. 'Hey I like Vince Cable ,even tho' he's as bald as a coot.I've got gravitas.Hinterland man.'

But they won't vote Lib Dem.'Clegg? Boooooring.Cable? Yeah alright,but he's bald ffs.'

[FutureTaoiseach]

If he hold out long enough, a new anti-Lisbon Tory govt will tear the Treaty up and we're off the hook.

[dmc444]

The fine print on the Tory EU policy is that they will reject lisbon only if Ireland rejects it this October, So Ireland would have to vote no again and if nothing can be found by June 2010 then the Treaty would be finished.

The bad news for Labour is that the Tories are now more trusted on the NHS which is something that has never happened before and it puts Browns Labour investment against Tory cuts slogan under pressure.

More bad news is because of boundary changes Labours majority has been reduced from 66 seats to 48 and the changes favour the Tories by giving them an extra 12 seats.

I wouldnt count Brown out yet, its a long time to May/June and alot can change before then, I saw Sky News projecting that the Tories would win a 28-33 seat majority if an election were held today.

[FutureTaoiseach]

The fine print on the Tory EU policy is that they will reject lisbon only if Ireland rejects it this October, So Ireland would have to vote no again and if nothing can be found by June 2010 then the Treaty would be finished.

The bad news for Labour is that the Tories are now more trusted on the NHS which is something that has never happened before and it puts Browns Labour investment against Tory cuts slogan under pressure.

More bad news is because of boundary changes Labours majority has been reduced from 66 seats to 48 and the changes favour the Tories by giving them an extra 12 seats.

I wouldnt count Brown out yet, its a long time to May/June and alot can change before then, I saw Sky News projecting that the Tories would win a 28-33 seat majority if an election were held today.

Wrong. Kenneth Clarke's claims that they would leave it be if Ireland ratified were shot down by David Cameron, who restated the position that unless Lisbon had come into force - which reqires unanimous ratification by all member states - the Tories would put it to a referendum. Were that not the case, the elites would not be in this mad rush to ratify before the UK General Election. Brown's failure to answer questions in the media about his govt's possible role in the Lockerbie bomber release will only drag his govt down further. Clarke has always been an outsider on European policy in the Tories since John Major was PM.

[dmc444]

Wrong. Kenneth Clarke's claims that they would leave it be if Ireland ratified were shot down by David Cameron, who restated the position that unless Lisbon had come into force - which reqires unanimous ratification by all member states - the Tories would put it to a referendum. Were that not the case, the elites would not be in this mad rush to ratify before the UK General Election. Brown's failure to answer questions in the media about his govt's possible role in the Lockerbie bomber release will only drag his govt down further.

I will bet my house that if Ireland votes Yes in October that Cameron will come out and say ahh well we wanted to put it to a referendum but Irelands vote makes it nearly immpossible.

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

Thats a pretty good call I reckon, dmc444. They can't lose as long as they shove the problem the far side of the annual Lisbon referendum ..

[corelli]

Wrong. Kenneth Clarke's claims that they would leave it be if Ireland ratified were shot down by David Cameron, who restated the position that unless Lisbon had come into force - which reqires unanimous ratification by all member states - the Tories would put it to a referendum. Were that not the case, the elites would not be in this mad rush to ratify before the UK General Election. Brown's failure to answer questions in the media about his govt's possible role in the Lockerbie bomber release will only drag his govt down further. Clarke has always been an outsider on European policy in the Tories since John Major was PM.

Would someone please explain, without hyperbole, how exactly the Tories plan to put the question to a referendum when Lisbon has already been passed by Westminster and is therefore ratified already by the UK. I am not sure, seriously, how constitutional such a referendum would be given the doctrine of Parliamentary Supremacy in the UK constitutional order.