New ComRes Poll – Coalition Beginning to Lose Support

There is a new ComRes poll published tonight for tomorrow’s Independent on Sunday/Sunday Mirror which shows the Conservative lead continuing to narrow and the Lib Dems down 3%:

              Conservative             37% (down 1%)

                                        Labour                      35% (up 1%)

                                        Lib Dem                    15% (down 3%) 

In other findings:

By going into coalition with the Conservatives, the Lib Dems appear to have sold out on their principles
Agree: 52% (41% May) – Lib Dem voters 52%
Disagree: 28% (47% May)  -  Lib Dem voters 32%
 
I would have voted differently at the election if I had known that the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives would enter into a coalition
Agree: 19% – Lib Dem voters 40%
Disagree: 64%  - Lib Dem voters 47%

I don’t really know what David Cameron stands for  
Agree: 37%  (was 53% in July 2009)
Disagree: 51% (was 42% in July 2009)
 
I don’t really know what Nick Clegg stands for
Agree: 57% – Lib Dem voters 42%
Disagree: 31% - Lib Dem voters 47%

(“Lib Dem voters” say they voted Lib Dem in 2010. In subsequent questions, “Lib Dem supporters” refers to respondents who say they would vote Lib Dem in a general election tomorrow.)
 
The spending cuts proposed by the Coalition Government go too far
Agree: 52% - Lib Dem supporters 48%
Disagree: 32%  - Lib Dem voters 37%
 
The Conservatives have more to gain than the Liberal Democrats by being in the coalition
Agree: 54% – Lib Dem supporters 64%
Disagree: 26% - Lib Dem voters 25%
 
Replacing student tuition fees with a tax on all graduates
Support: 34% – Lib Dem supporters 41%
Oppose: 34% – Lib Dem voters 27%

Cancelling the schools building programme to save money
Support: 24% – Lib Dem supporters 24%
Oppose: 59%  - Lib Dem voters 59%
 
Renewing Britain’s Trident nuclear submarine fleet
Support: 24% – Lib Dem supporters 19%
Oppose: 50%  - Lib Dem voters 63%
 
Building new nuclear power stations
Support: 48% – Lib Dem supporters 45%
Oppose: 30%  - Lib Dem voters 37%
 
Raising VAT to 20%
Support: 26% – Lib Dem supporters 35%
Oppose: 64% – Lib Dem voters 57%
 
The Government commitment to cuts across spending departments of up to 40%
Support: 43% - Lib Dem supporters 50%
Oppose: 40% – Lib Dem voters 34%

ComRes interviewed a representative sample of 2,028 GB adults online 14-16 September 2010.

Two Lib Dem Councillors Defect to Tories

There has been a veritable stream of defections in the last week or so. I am grateful to a reader who has messaged me to point out the two Lib Dem Councillors that have decided to leave their party and join the Conservatives.

The first was Cllr Ron Cockings (left) who is a Warwickshire County Councillor and also on Stratford-on-Avon District Council. He has decided to join the local Conservative group in order to show hs support for the new Coalition government.

The second is Cllr John Yates (right), a Northampton Borough Councillor. He is the third on his Council in recent years to leave the party. The other two now sit as Independents.

The Lib Dems have also suffered other recent defections to Labour in Sheffield and Solihull. The party enters its Conference with rumblings from the wings of the party, particularly from the left. Nick Clegg and his senior colleagues have a job to do to make the case for the Coalition government and the compromises that inevitably have to be made. After all, that is what the Lib Dems have advocated for so many years!