The answers to three questions included on the MORI survey being published in The Times tomorrow reveal a good deal about the public attitudes to the state of the parties, and go some way to explaining the cavernous gap that still exists between the parties (and which, indeed, may even have widened slightly in the last week).
With three polls now in from Scotland, we can take a brief look at the electoral scene north of the border. (Not that you would know there have been any polls in Scotland from reading the London-based newspapers.) As the first post-devolution election, it will be fascinating to see how, if at all, the existence of the Scottish Parliament affects voting patterns, turnout, and the concerns which Scottish voters raise with their candidates.
Daily it seems we are confronted, confounded and sometimes infuriated by these phone(y) polls, fax polls, phooey polls and my collective name for them, 'Voodoo Polls'.
This is the most boring election in this century/decade/since the war/lately/whatever. How many elections is it that I've been hearing that? Nine is it? Every election news editors send some tyro journo out to stir up apathy, and prove once again that this is the most boring election since the year dot.
In Saturday's Guardian Yvonne Roberts report discussed the "gender gap" in voting, arguing that women are not served well by the political system, and quoting research by Harriet Harman and Deborah Mattinson.
Three polls in the Sunday newspapers show Labour going into the second week of the campaign with a commanding lead. They also provide insights into the public's views on the key issues in the election.
