Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris
Labour has been so truly awful for so long, I think we’ve forgotten what a mid-term poll is supposed to look like. Governments aren’t supposed to do well at this point. The opposition is. None of which should detract from the fact that the Tories are having an absolute nightmare right now. Clearly they are. But the poll numbers we’re seeing today just aren’t going to be the ones we go into the next election with.
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It doesn't help that this mid-term polling slump was entirely self-inflicted and needless. This isn't a polling slump as a result of some unpopular policies they needed to get out of the way and whose benefit would pay off ahead of an election.
Theoretically, the hard part of this Government's term is yet to come with a cost of living crisis, tax rises and an NHS which is going to struggle to cope with the backload of cases caused by COVID. Partygate and the issue of Owen Paterson completely spent all the goodwill the Government had as a result of their handling of vaccine rollout.
The Tories will recover in the polling as the scandal fades from the headlines but these things have a cumulative effect slowly eroding the trust and faith their voters will have them. Further scandals will hit harder and harder and they'll struggle to reset the narrative of 'one rule for us, another for them'.
The other thing is they don't have Corbyn to contrast against anymore. Starmer is a bit 'meh' but he isn't hated. He isn't going to scare voters away.