eurealist.co.uk

Interesting poll results I still do not see the Tories winning
Guardian Unlimited Politics | Special Reports | Tories gain ground on Labour: “Tony Blair effectively launched Labour’s campaign a fortnight ago with his helicopter tour, the six pledges and the party’s spring conference. He even attempted to bypass the Westminster media with a special meet-the-voters day courtesy of Channel Five.

But despite all this effort the ICM survey, which puts Labour on 37%, shows the government’s lead over the Conservatives is down four points in the last month and has fallen from nine to only three points since December.

For all the frenzied activity in advance of a likely May 5 poll, it looks as though Labour’s pre-election strategy - being masterminded by Alan Milburn and former director of communications Alastair Campbell - is in danger of proving a flop.”

The ICM poll also shows that Gordon Brown has replaced Tony Blair as Labour’s biggest electoral asset with the chancellor enjoying the same kind of cross-party respect that the prime minister had before his 1997 and 2001 general election victories.

The survey shows that Mr Blair’s political appeal is confined to Labour’s core voters who still see him as likeable and caring. But among the wider electorate the prime minister is regarded as arrogant, out of touch and untrustworthy and it appears that his hopes of rekindling his “marriage” with voters generally may prove shortlived.

While Mr Brown gets positive ratings from Liberal Democrat and Conservative voters they now see Mr Blair as a positive liability.