MORI Puts Labour in the lead
A MORI poll in the FT shows a Labour lead of 2% over the Conservatives (37% to 35%) among the 56% who say they are "certain to vote". The Liberal-Democrats are on 18%. Cameron's overall approval rating has fallen 14 points to minus 2 this month. On the Politics Show this morning there was speculation that Cameron was seen as both too "policy light" and too posh (he has 15 Old Etonians in his Shadow Cabinet). There are further polls due out later this week.
posted by Politaholic at 2:28 pm
2 Comments:
Are you sure it was 15 in Shadow Cabinet? I know he's got lots of advisers who are from the old school but 15 seems a lot unless he's expanded his sgadow team.
You're right Skipper, it's not 15. Careless of me. The source is an article by Matthew Taylor in The Guardian (12/8/06) which says that the Conservatives have 15 on the frontbench. But on closer inspection that figure includes the whole frontbench team - apparently as large as 130 - and includes a whole clutch of Old Etonians from the Lords who hold junior appointments (as does Old Etonian Boris Johnson). So far as I can see the Shadow Cabinet itself seem to have 4 Old Etonians (16%): David Cameron, Oliver Letwin, Hugo Swire, and Lord Cope of Berkeley (Opposition Chief Whip in the Lords). Some of the others went to quite "posh" schools: e.g. Lord Strathclyde to Wellington, Francis Maude to Abington School, and Alan Duncan to the Merchant Taylors School. On the other hand, unless I am mistaken, there are no Old Etonians in the Labour Cabinet, and Blair seems to be the only public schoolboy, although several obviously come from fairly "posh" backgrounds. Does any of this matter? Surely people should be judged by "the content of their character" and not their background (which they didn't choose)? Well, yes; but when the Conservative Shadow Cabinet is led by an Old Etonian, with three others in the Shadow Cabinet, well, that tells us something. In any case, thanks for putting me right on this one Skipper.
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