51% agree that Brown is a ditherer

That's the good news from a Populus survey for BBC1's Daily Politics.  Asked if they agreed that the Prime Minister was 'indecisive' and a ditherer, 51% agreed and 38% disagreed.  That's a big victory for David Cameron and his repeated attempts at PMQs to paint Mr Brown as unable to take decisions.  For Mr Brown it's a big reversal from last summer when he was seen as strong and commanding.

The other Populus findings concern Northern Rock and they are less encouraging:

• Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling handled the Northern Rock crisis as well as they could under the circumstances... Agree 39%, Disagree 50%
• David Cameron and George Osborne would have handled the Northern Rock crisis better than the Government... Agree 28%, Disagree 52%
• I trust David Cameron and George Osborne more than I trust Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling to take the best decisions on tax and the economy... Agree 39%, Disagree 46%.

Comments

[RobC]

and 49% aren't sure

[passing leftie]

David Cameron and George Osborne would have handled the Northern Rock crisis better than the Government... Agree 28%, Disagree 52%

You've got a long, long way to go.

[TFA Tory]

These figures are disastrous for Cameron and Osborne. If the voters trust Brown more on issues like NR, tax and the economy, a Labour recovery is likely rather than possible. Osborne is an electoral liability and must be replaced by a heavyweight asap.

[Malcolm Dunn]

One has to question the sanity of the polled if only 51% believe that Brown dithers!
Not too suprised about the NR polling.It will take some time before the public in general realise what a disaster this has been for the financial reputation of this country.
Our line of attack has been wrong too. The mistakes that led to this debacle were made when the BOE was stripped of its regulatory authority and the FSA was created.
The government had a choice from September, either to let the situation take its course and let NR go bust ( this would have been my choice) or a form of nationalisation which have left the taxpayer with most of the risk whether NR was bought by Lloyds, Virgin or 100% owned by the state.
The solution we have put forward was not considered credible by the public. Perhaps in time the perception of the scale of Brown/Darling failure will become more apparent to the electorate.
Certainly we should maintain the pressure to open up the NR disaster to the freedom of information act.

[His Eminence]

always take Populus polls with a large pinch of salt

[Northernhousewife]

Shouldn't get too carried away by this poll.

Quickie polls for Populus have a notorious Labour bias. Unless they are adjusted with past voting intentions they are worthless.
Anthony Wells recently reported on this when Populus did the last quickie poll on NR.

I am not advocating only taking account of polls that tell us nice things about ourselves!- only that we should not make policy or rush to judgement on ones that are deeply flawed [and biased in favour of our opponents].
That would be silly.

[Kevin Davis]

I think these Northern Rock answers are more a reflection of the utter disregard that politicians are held in than any problem with Cameron and Osbourne.

My view on Northern Rock is that we have not yet had the bad news - that has a long way to run yet!

[TFA Tory]

The problem is, Kevin Davis, is that the public hold Brown and Darling in higher regard than Cameron and Osborne. After the disasters of the last few months, these poll numbers are very poor.

[Jack Cade]

It doesn't take an idiot to design a poll to give a pro-labour result.

The poll asked the wrong question. The answer might have been clearer if the choice had been between 3 statements:
a) Is Brown a ditherer?,
b) Is Brown an idiot?
c) are you a ditherer?

The results would have gone:

a)Ditherer - 51%
b)Idiot - 38%
c)Unsure - 11%

Easy when you know how.

[Mark Williams]

Maybe he is a ditherer, and then again maybe he isn't. I'll have to think about it before I make up my mind, but perhaps I won't have to. I'll just go and lie down for a bit and think about it some more.

[Dominic Harvey]

Keyword in the paragraph about PMQs being 'attempts'. Cameron's preferred strategy at PMQs only makes him look irresponsible and childish.

And frankly, after the sheer ineffectiveness displayed by Darling and Brown over economic matters, to see that they are more trusted than Cameron and Osborne is greatly worrying. The weak link here is Osborne - while I believe he would make a decent Party Chairman, his continued tenure as Shadow Chancellor is an example of quasi-nepotism. For heaven's sake, we have five former Conservative chancellors still alive - Clarke, Lamont, Lawson, Howe and Major- who could be consulted on economic issues. We have a perfectly good candidate for Shadow Chancellor in the form of John Redwood. I know to agree with Simon Heffer is to invoke the wrath of the ConservativeHome readership, but Redwood is much better suited for the job than young Gideon.

[Josh]

I have to agree that Cammy and Ozzy haven't handled NR well. They've been too busy using it to beat El Gordo and Sooty rather than trying to show that they could be better. Hence the poll results.

[David Belchamber]

Dominic Harvey at 17.02 is absolutely on the mark:

"The weak link here is Osborne - while I believe he would make a decent Party Chairman, his continued tenure as Shadow Chancellor is an example of quasi-nepotism".

I repeat what I have said on many occasions: I am delighted George Osborne is on our side and I think he has grown in stature over the months - as a politician. But I have heard little to convince me that he would ever make a good Chancellor.
The irritating thing is that we have experienced MPs already in the HoC who could make a much better fist of that absolutely crucial job.

[TFA Tory]

As a Conservative, I have to admit that I do not trust Osborne. Having heard him several times, his knowledge of economics is undergraduate at best. He has no City or industrial experience and that shows in his infantile approach to his brief.

[John Broughton]

Dominic Harvey

Lets see if we can bring some wrath onto both of us.

Redwood is the outstanding financial figure in the HoC - read his diary.

Heffer espouses sound conservative values (generally), presentation somewhat harsh - his views chime with those I meet on the doorstep day in and day out.

[Northernhousewife]

Do any of you - who base your opinions on polls, or use them to confirm the rightness of your postion, bother to do the Maths?

There is a link to UK Polling on this site if you wish to learn more.

This poll has about as little more validity than voodoo polls. It is inherently favourable to Labour [as set out above]. There may be polls you can use as a baton and run with - but this isn't one of them.

[TFA Tory]

Northernhousewife is libelling a member of the British Polling Council by accusing the firm of bias and a lack of professional standards. She should produce evidence to back up her claims and state her relevant professional expertise.

[James Lees]

And the other 49% could not make up their minds!

[Geoff]

I can't believe those numbers. An unambitious oyster would have moved faster and with more effect than Broon and whoever the Chancellor is today.

(Have we still got the guy with the fantastically ridiculous eyebrows or have we swapped him with the guy who will launch a thousand headlines with the surname Balls yet? Sorry, I am lagging behind on the latest incompetent / idiot / moron / liar / sleasebag / oddball who is in the Labour Hall Of Shame.)

Who voted in this poll: are they currently in arm-restraints?

Northernhousewife is not libelling anyone - it is well known that different polling companies slant in different ways. It depends on how they angle the question. Also calling people during the day, at night, only on home phones and not on mobiles - all techniques miss out sections of certain demographics.

I'm on shift work right now. Would I get a call at 1am? It'd be in the middle of my working day.