Conservative candidate in Inverclyde gave me a campaign postcard thingy on the train this afternoon. Oddly enough the kids got some Tory balloons during the by-election campaign there a few years ago as well. Given it's a constituency we only set foot in once every fortnight or so and is not a Tory target what are the chances? I've certainly never seen a campaigner from any other party there.
The malaise in the public is not surprising and it may help when the end of march/beginning of april debates start and on the publication of manifestos. But it could just be that the news has been so positive on the economy they don't want to listen to lots of politicians arguing and talking over each other and will just decide their vote on the day in the polling booth.
I see the PB Lefties are still very tetchy after the budget - yet more evidence that Ozzy got it right. Oh can they remind us which of the measures Ed Balls has pledged today to reverse?
So you are confident of a big polling boost then?
The budget has managed to shift the narrative onto Tory cuts. I really expected something cleverer from Osborne
And here are the key points from the opening statement by Paul Johnson, the Institute for Fiscal Studies director, at the IFS’s post-budget briefing.
Johnson said, if you consider tax and benefit changes introduced by the coalition, “the poorest have seen the biggest proportionate losses”.
This is after the 2014 budget, but I don't think there were that many material changes yesterday. It's not the one I say (which was quintiles) but chart 2C has the same message (shown in deciles instead
Ignoring posts like Roger's meal with his mate.. and Rosaree's ridiculous posts what actual vibes are you getting re Budget 2015???. I've met lots of people but not a soul has mentioned it in any way whatsoever.
I phone-canvassed 30-odd this evening who had doorstep-canvassed as undecided. A few said they would vote Labour, a couple said they were Tory, the rest sounded not very interested at all. Nobody mentioned the Budget, either positively or negatively. The one who engaged most interestingly was a woman in her 70s, who compared the current Middle East with Wolf Hall Britain ("we did plenty of beheading, and even demolished holy relics, just like ISIS") and expressed puzzlement that young people didn't seem as scared of the future as most people did when she grew up.
We young people aren't living under the shadow of THE BOMB. Rightly or wrongly, it doesn't feature in our thoughts.
You know it says a lot about where we are when there was a Scotland wide poll earlier, it gave 47% SNP to 26% Labour and it has barely been worthy of comment.
I just wonder how many people said that they will vote SNP to stop a brick being thrown through a window?
Comments
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploding_animal#Toads
Why, cant you read now?
That certainly seems to be the position here...
The budget has managed to shift the narrative onto Tory cuts. I really expected something cleverer from Osborne
It's his butler's yearly one day holiday.
I expected nothing cleverer from Ed...
Perhaps they will change their findings of today
Especially the IFS analysis aftermath.
A tie.
Not a blue one Mr Pulpstar!
"Especially the IFS analysis aftermath. "
It is hardly the major story though? It is only number two on the "Beeb" website, so no one will notice.
I am on a raid
OBR Roller Coaster under GO
Lab would cut National Debt to 60% GDP without deep cuts.