A ComRes poll shows that whatever happens at this years general election (whenever we get it), voters will be unhappy:
ComRes asked whether a particular result would make people feel happy or unhappy – and every option resulted in the “unhappies” winning.
The result that would spread the most gloom would be a hung parliament with Gordon Brown remaining as prime minister.
The results for this are:
The next worst option, on this measure, would be a hung parliament with David Cameron as prime minister.
Interestingly, the figures for a Labour win are almost exactly the same.
The most popular outcome would be a Conservative win, which is the only result that would leave less than half the population unhappy. But the “unhappies” would still outnumber the “happies”. (Other categories were “indifferent” and “don’t know”.)
Cue Lib Dem “this is why we need PR!!1!” screaming.
But what this poll actually show is that the British people like to know who their government is and who can be praised/blamed for what happens – the hung parliament results are siginificantly worse than the majority government results in both cases. What PR does is remove the link, and remove the democratic right of people to choose their government; under PR, they get to pick representatives, but the politicians get to pick who actually forms the government.
To a certain extent, the result of this poll isn’t surprising. There hasn’t been a British government formed with more than 5% of the popular vote since about 1945 , so in every election since then, more people have voted against the government than for it. So why should it change this year?
But one fact that shouldn’t be lost is that the significantly most popular result would be a Conservative victory.
David Cameron today delivered a barnstorming note-less speech to the Conservative Spring Conference in Brighton. He made it clear that he desires to become Prime Minister for the best of the country:
Now we’ve got a maximum of 70 days between now and the general election that we must win. And you know what, this isn’t an election that it would be quite nice to win, because we’ve got some quite good policies, or quite good to win, because some of these people would make quite good ministers. It is an election we have to win because our country is in a complete mess, and it is our patriotic duty to turn it around and give this country a better future, and I think everyone in this country knows …
I think everyone knows that another five years of Gordon Brown would be a disaster for our country. Another five years of spending and bloat and waste and debt and taxes. Another five years of failing to get to grips with our big social problems. Another five years in our politics of that big, top-down, bossy “I know best” sort of approach. And another five years of a government that is so dysfunctional, so divided, so weak, you’ve got a bunch of ministers that can’t work with him, but can’t get rid of him; you’ve got a Prime Minister who can’t work with them, but can’t make his government work. They’re just locked in this dangerous dance of death that is dragging our whole country down. And it is only the Conservative Party that can give people the hope of a different future. And as we leave this conference today, we must resolve, we will not let you down…
[A]s you go out there and campaign, I want you to do it fortified with two things in your mind. The first is that every day Gordon Brown is running this country is a grey day for Britain. Every day he is in charge is another day we’re not gripping our problems, another day we are wasting our opportunities, another day when this country is not being all that it could be. But I also want you to think of this, to think of the great changes we can make in this country…
And while you do it, I want you to think of the incredible dark depression of another five years of Gordon Brown and say no, no, we’re not going to do that, so come on then, let’s get out there and win it for Britain!
It is our patriotic duty to vote for the best government this country can get. And we have a choice between five more years of Gordon Brown and his failed, incompetent Labour government and change under David Cameron and a fresh, forward-looking Conservative Party. We can hope for change that will never come under Labour, or vote for change under the Conservatives.
It seems that there is no end to the lies that Claire Ward will peddle. Despite it having been made clear many times – including in a direct letter from Conservative Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.
She is repeating her inaccurate allegations in her latest leaflet to be delivered across Watford in the few bits Labour still has volunteers:
Interestingly, in this latest leaflet Claire actually includes a photo of David Cameron – in the guise of the a mydavidcameron.com produced poster. It makes little sense that they would place Cameron’s photos on their leaflets, since the very reason that the Tories used Cameron in the posters was because he was deemed to be their best asset…
This is a continuation of Labour’s lies to the people of Watford. The Conservatives fully support Watford General Hospital and will keep it open and improve the services it offers, not cripple it under the weight of the target-ridden culture they have created.
Claire Ward is copying the tactics of Gordon Brown: lie about your opponents policies and then campaign against the straw man you have created. Rather than deal with the real policies of the Conservatives.
The Liberal Democrat Party in Watford have moved from bad to worse, and proven that their promises really aren’t worth anything at all. Not only did they break a promise made in 2007, but they have broken one made just two days before!
As I blogged yesterday, the Lib Dems published a quote in their leaflet purporting to be from the Watford Observer supporting their candidate, which was nothing of the sort. They had previously published precisely the same thing in 2007 and given “written assurance” that it would not happen again.
Which it did – and was then blamed by their PPC on “a volunteer who is new to Watford”, rather than accepting responsibility herself. Where does the buck stop with their own parliamentary campaign literature but with the PPC?!
But what has happened since? Well, the Lib Dems said that the undelivered leaflets containing this quote had been recalled… but I have heard that they are still being pushed through letterboxes.
So the Watford Lib Dems not only publish misleading quotes, they break promises and blame them on other people. And then they break their promises all over again!
When we finally get to vote in this year’s general election, there is one question that must be asked and answered: who do you want to be Prime Minister, David Cameron or Gordon Brown?
If you want David Cameron, vote Conservative. A vote for any other party – whether they be Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green, UKIP, or anyone else – is a vote for Gordon Brown.
Why? Because if the Conservatives do not get a majority in the House of Commons, Brown can remain as PM:
The convention is that the prime minister before the election remains prime minister until it is clear that he can no longer command a majority in Parliament and that somebody else can. – Lord Butler, former cabinet secretary
Unless the Conservatives are voted in, we end up with a situation where Brown could remain as PM without any form of mandate – either by MPs or votes. And basically until the Conservatives reach a coalition deal with minor parties to generate the necessary majority.
If Brown can remain in No. 10 until he is forced out – which he will if he gets the chance – the choice changes from a choice of party to a choice of Prime Minister. David Cameron or Gordon Brown. There is no other choice. Not other party leader could possibly take on the role.
Britain can opt to choose David Cameron by voting Conservative, or for Gordon Brown by voting for anyone else. Take your pick.
