Satisfaction with the performance of Tony Blair as prime minister has hit new lows over the past two months, the latest Ipsos poll has found. The prime minister's performance rating is now barely a third of what it was immediately following his landslide election in 1997.
Two thirds of the British public (64%) believe that it is fair to say that Tony Blair is "all spin, but no substance" according to Ipsos's latest political poll exclusively for The Sunday Times. Just 28% of the public say that this criticism is unfair, giving a "spin over substance" index of +36. The public is divided about whether this accusation can be applied to Gordon Brown: 41% say it can and 45% say it cannot (an index of -4). A large proportion of the public have yet to decide about David Cameron, but where people do give an opinion they are more likely to say he is all spin, but no substance. Cameron's spin index is +11 (with 42% saying he is all spin and 31% saying he is not). Opinion about the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Menzies Campbell, divides three ways: 28 % agree he is all spin, but no substance; 36 % say he is not; and 36% say they don't know. This gives Campbell an index score of -8.
The two key findings from this month's Political Monitor survey provide grim reading for both the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition — Tony Blair's personal satisfaction ratings have fallen to the lowest levels of his premiership and, for the first time, more of the public is dissatisfied than satisfied with the performance of David Cameron.
A survey of people in six countries around the world released today reveals that on average, 30% have been the victim of gun crime or know someone who has been in the last five years, with the proportion rising to more than half in Brazil, Guatemala and South Africa.
It appears that the British public are continuing to be gloomy about the future of the economy and public services, according to the latest Deloitte/Ipsos Government Delivery Index. Expectations among the public were generally at a historic low in early 2006, and this level of pessimism has broadly been maintained in the months since.
