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Brown 'doomed even if economy recovers'
Nicholas Cecil, Chief Political Correspondent11.09.08
Gordon Brown's hopes of winning the next general election on the back of an economic recovery suffered a blow today.
Two out of three voters believe that, even if the economic slowdown is reversed, there are other reasons why it is time for change, according to a new poll.
The finding will disappoint many Labour MPs who have been clinging to the belief that if the economy picks up, so will their party's fortunes.
The Populus survey for The Times showed 67 per cent of voters, including 36 who support Labour, agree that "even if the economic situation improves dramatically over the next year or two, there are many other reasons why it is time for a change."
Mr Brown's personal ratings as Prime Minister are also dismal, with 74 per cent of people believing he is a bad one, and just 23 saying he is good.
Working class voters and men are the groups where he is losing most support.
But, interestingly, his reputation as Chancellor has gone up, with 60 per cent now saying he was good in this post, compared to 53 per cent 18 months ago.
The poll also found that both Mr Brown and Tory leader David Cameron are seen as shifting away from the political centre ground.
The Prime Minister is now perceived by voters to be to the Left of the Liberal Democrats, and to have moved sharply in that direction.
Mr Cameron is viewed as having gone to the Right, though less dramatically, but to be further than Mr Brown from the centre ground.
Tony Blair, who led Labour to three general election victories, was almost on the centre point - slightly to the Right.
Meanwhile, a leading Labour MP warned that Mr Cameron, who features on the front of the latest edition of Time magazine, is connecting with many non-Tory voters by championing social change including in work-life balance and on the environment.
Dagenham MP Jon Cruddas, who stood for the Labour deputy leadership, also stressed that his party was hampering its own fight against the Conservative revival.
In a pamphlet, Mr Cruddas and academic Jonathan Rutherford, argue, according to The Guardian, that "by jettisoning the language of ethical socialism, (Labour) has lost its capacity to match Cameron's pro-social rhetoric and usurp his claim to value politics."
The publication adds: "It has become a politics without sympathy, unable to engage with everyday life. In contrast, Cameron's ethical language of social life has resonated amongst many who in the past would never have considered voting for the economic liberalism of Thatcherism."
Skills Minister and Tottenham MP David Lammy is quoted as saying: "Cameron has touched a nerve, reflecting a big gap in our political narrative."
Reader views (6)
It is not just Labour politicians that have lost their credibilty, their integrity, it is all politicians.
The disparity between those 5% who have more money than they know what to do with and the rest of us in need of nessesities of life.
Our clever politicians buy up some of the US debt and then tell us, the majority of the people, the working people, that we are in for a rough ride.
Its bloody fasical.
irrahhayes
PS. A barrel of oil
- Ian, Dagenham
I am so pleased about what appears to be happening in British politics now. After a decade of airbrushing the differences between left and right, it now seems that our politicians might be deserting the centre ground and going for the core vote again. What Labour should note, however, is that in 1979 Britain voted in Conservative politics and never really voted them out; it was Tory sleaze that we voted out in '97. So retreating back towards the left will do Labour no good at all, because the only thing that made Labour electable in the first place was that it cloned Thatcherism.
- Sam Armstrong, London UK
It was said that Brown was a great Chancellor, the best that Labour has ever had. The inference being that what is good for the labour party is good for the country. New Labour won a historic three elections based on the floating votes of the middle class. It will be interesting to see if the country can survive three terms of Labour's "Tax and Spend" mentality.
The working class that Labour claim to represent should ask themselves do I vote Labour because I'm poor or am I poor because I vote Labour?
Who has benefited from a Labour Government? The very rich and those who don't want to work.
- Roger B, London
It's not the economy stupid! It's the scorched earth policies inflicted on England.
- Mike, London
Who on earth are these people who think that Gordon Brown was a good chancellor? He flogged the country's gold reserves off at a rock bottom price, destroyed the pensions with his tax grab, hammered pensioners with his stealth tax of increasing the council tax, ramped up stamp duty, taxed the oil companies so that it was no longer worth their while devloping new fields in the North Sea, put many of the less well off people into serious financial straits with is hopeless tax credit system and then threatened them with dire consequences if they didn't pay him back pronto, did away with the 10% tax band, the list goes on and on. Oh wait, he did put and end to boom and bust...well, he said he did. He was worst chancellor the country has had this century and is now the worst prime minister, as he will find out at the next election.
- John, Bangkok, Thailand
Let's not waste our lives speculating about creepy Brown and Nu Labour. Just kick them all out, hopefully, for ever.
- Judith C, London
