The latest Populus poll shows that only a third of people in Britain support Labour’s plans for borrowing and public spending outlined in the Pre-Budget Report.
This is perhaps uninspiring stuff. After all, Brown is gambling on the British economy making a remarkable recovery in line with some optimistic predictions. He and his cohorts have been wrong before.
Brown’s support from middle-class voters has plummeted 10 points to 42, still ahead of David Cameron on 36. This, again, is unsurprising given that the truth about NI hikes is now being realised.
More surprising is that only 1 in 4 people questioned thought that Labour’s extreme ratcheting of public debt levels would be bad for the economy over the next few years. Maybe they’ve been taking clairvoyance lessons from the Chancellor – the man who predicted growth this year would be 2.25% and that there would be no recession.
Also – tellingly – over half of people questioned say that any money saved from Darling’s PBR will be exactly that: saved. Any fiscal relief – small, populist measures – will not help stimulate the economy.
People are already in a hole after a decade of easy debt proliferation. They are looking to cut losses, not go and create potential for more.
If being bold is what is needed, Labour has missed a trick. And it looks as though the public are starting to notice.
Tagged: Brown, debt, national insurance, PBR, polls
