Poll: Clegg apology failed; ‘has one year left’


by Sunny Hundal    
4:46 pm - September 25th 2012

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Stephen Tell from LibdemVoice writes at the Huffington Post:

No matter what the polls currently say – or even our LibDemVoice members’ survey showing Nick’s ratings are negative for the first time – he has at least another year’s grace to turn things around.

And quite right too. I’m a fan of Nick’s, but even if I weren’t I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy what he’s had to endure these past two years.

I think it is fairly significant that even a hardened Nick Clegg fan admits he has another year to turn things around. However I’ll put my neck out and say there won’t be any leadership coup attempts before 2014.

No potential Libdem leader would want the job while they still have to maintain good relations with the Tories. They’d want it only when getting ready for an election campaign and can say what they want.

Second, related point: I find it staggering that Libdems are so bad at reading the polls.

Leo Barasi pointed out yesterday that most people don’t hate Clegg (outside the Twitterati) but think he is incompetent and is in way over his head. I think that is completely right.

Which is why if you run an ad saying ‘sorry, I shouldn’t have made a pledge‘ – it will backfire because it simply reinforces the narrative that Clegg is clueless and way in over his head.

I suspect Nick Clegg’s apology will do nothing to rescue his dire ratings. If Libdems had any sense he’d be gone by 2014.

UPDATE Polling by Comres confirms what I wrote just hours earlier:

Three quarters (76%) agree that Nick Clegg was right to apologise for breaking the pledge not to raise tuition fees while just one in ten (11%) disagree.

Two thirds (66%) believe that Clegg made this apology for political reasons, rather than being sincerely sorry. One in five (19%) disagree.

Clegg’s apology is widely acknowledged by the public with a minority of one in five (19%) who admit they had not heard about it. However among 18-24 year olds – the most likely to be affected by tuition fees – nearly half (45%) say that they were not aware of his apology.

62% disagree that they have a better opinion of Clegg because of his apology and subsequently, more than half (55%) agree that they have a worse opinion of the Liberal Democrat Party as a result of them breaking their pledge not to raise tuition fees.

As I said, it is staggering that the Libdems don’t even bother trying to understand people’s opinions.

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About the author
Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
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Reader comments


1. AndyB

Indeed Sunny-I rarely hate anybody (politicians included) and it is no different for Clegg. However, I do hold him in contempt for his caving in on the NHS reorganisation, which was not in the Coalition Agreement, and his almost laughable moves on constitutional reform.

2. Man on Clapham Omnibus

‘As I said, it is staggering that the Libdems don’t even bother trying to understand people’s opinions.’

Hardly surprising really given that people’s opinions last for a couple of weeks and are easily changed.


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
  1. leftlinks

    Liberal Conspiracy – ‘Clegg has at least another year to turn things around’ http://t.co/dLg6gw03

  2. sunny hundal

    Hardened fan @stephentall admits: 'Nick Clegg has at least another year to turn things around' http://t.co/0AbjIuha

  3. Kal Singh Dhindsa

    Hardened fan @stephentall admits: 'Nick Clegg has at least another year to turn things around' http://t.co/0AbjIuha

  4. Jason Brickley

    ‘Clegg has at least another year to turn things around’ http://t.co/EruX0E51

  5. miss crazy

    Hardened fan @stephentall admits: 'Nick Clegg has at least another year to turn things around' http://t.co/0AbjIuha

  6. sunny hundal

    My short blog-post on why the Nick Clegg apology video won't work at all http://t.co/0AbjIuha





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