Politics

The Daily Telegraph's lead editorial on 14 February, argued on the basis of recent Conservative successes in local government by-elections that the Conservatives are in a much stronger position than current opinion polls suggest.

Constituency poll following Shaun Woodward's switch from Conservative to Labour

A series of polls, first in Scotland where controversy initially arose, and subsequently across the whole of Great Britain, have made it clear that public opinion on Section 28 of the Local Government Act, on the age of consent for homosexual sex, and more generally on attitudes to homosexuality, are by no means as simple or as clear cut as some of those on either side of the argument would like to believe. On the one hand, there is a clear majority of the public opposed both to repealing Section 28 and to lowering the age of consent to 16; but, on the other hand, many of these opponents are happy to admit the legitimacy of homosexual relationships between adults.

Technical details

There's no mystery behind Labour's poll lead, says MORI's Sir Robert Worcester -- it's the Opposition, stupid

from British Public Opinion, April 1999

On Thursday, February 28, the Sun headlined:121,764 VOTE TO SAVE 163

Q1 How would you vote if there were a General Election tomorrow?
(If undecided or refused at Q1)
Q2 Which party are you most inclined to support?
Base: 1,967