Government moves on after AV vote and results
The opposing sides of the alternative vote debate in the government have declared their intention to put the matter behind it and get back to the pressing issues still facing the country today. LibDem leader Nick Clegg says his party will now continue to work for the pressing matters at hand – mending the UK economy, addressing unemployment and restoring a sense of optimism to its people. His was the strongest voice in the request for a change in the voting system as the LibDems and part of the Labour Party actively pursued a “Yes 2 AV” campaign.
In what was an unexpectedly strong polling turn out, supporters of the alternative supporters only counted up to 32.1% of the votes, while the “No 2 AV” side registered 67.9%. 19.1 million people voted in what was the country’s only second UK-wide referendum in history.
Prime Minister David Cameron, whose Tory Party was a fervent opposant of the alternative vote, described the outcome as a “clear and resounding answer” to a “straightforward question”. The PM equally underlined the importance of switching focus back to the daily matters facing his government, by continuing to work together with the Liberal Democrat partners at Westminster.
Second debate instant polls results
The second opportunity to lock horns in a live television debate engaged the main party leaders in a fierce and fast-paced discussion answering question from the live studio audience assembled in Bristol. The general consensus from the general public seems to be twofold: first, that Tory candidate David Cameron looked pinned in a corner, unconvincingly chasing the game throughout, and secondly, that Lib Dem Nick Clegg lived up to the expectations created by the first debate a week prior. Clegg seems to have stood up well to a resurgent Gordon Brown, with a steady performance that saw him well composed, if occasionally on the offence in front of the Bristol audience hosted by Sky News.
Instant polls made public immediately after the debate give indication of the tight balance in electorate preferences that the debate doesn’t seem to have helped disperse.
ICM poll results – election week 2
An ICM poll carried out from the 9th to the 11th of April released its findings just before the Tory manifesto launch today, revealing an overwhelming expectancy for a Conservative win in the coming election. When asked to name whom they expect to hold the Downing Street position after May 6th, regardless of their own preferences, 58% of respondents named David Cameron, against only a 28% response for Gordon Brown. It largely coincides with the percentage of people who think it is time for a change in power (63%), while only 26% trust continuity is the way to go. The ones asking for change include as much as a third of people who gave the Labour their backing in 2005. Geographically, The Labour still hold the lead in the North of England, and Scotland, but are at a disadvantage in the south, as well as the Midlands.
When it comes down to actually leaving their mark on polling day, only 55% of the people interviewed declared they were certain to vote (up by three points compared to results from a week earlier). The study was carried out on 1,024 adults aged 18 and over, through telephone polling acrossing the country, by ICM Research.
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