Thursday, September 01, 2005
A "shift in the mood", the "rules are changing", etc posted by Meaders
Via Blood and Treasure, news that the crew are abandoning the Great Helmsman. Buried away in the Telegraph's poll on abortion, the monthly YouGov report shows this:Most of the trackers showed the government’s popularity slowing reverting to type after the spike that followed the London bombings. As well as their lead over the Conservatives in voting intention falling 2 points, the government’s net approval rating fell from -12 to -18; this compares to -19 immediately prior to the London bombings. The percentage of people thinking Tony Blair would make the best PM has fallen four points to 36%, compared to 37% prior to the bombing.
It's the last sentence that stands out: Blair is now less popular than he was before the bombings. Our collective rallying to his flag must be amongst the most dismal recorded, but the propensity of his fellow Blair to allow the execution of innocent civilians no doubt dimmed enthusiasm somewhat. Equally, support for the Prime Minister's anti-terrorist legislation, already ropier than headline figures suggest, is likely to start fraying.