Which is the most competent party?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.telegraph....general-election.html

How can Labour be the most competent party, what have they done to enable them to be so?

The Telegraph poll figures to date are 51.88% Conservative, 45.24% Labour and 2.88% Lib Dems.

[factor-fiction]

The Telegraph poll though is presumably based largely on the views of Telegraph readers who tend to be Tories, so I'm not sure those figures tell us much

[Graham-W]

None of the above.
Sadly I will not be voting at the next election. I couldn't bring myself to tell people I voted for any of the incompetent, thieving bar-stewards.

[Zeuhl]

The Telegraph article in your link makes it clear:

<<The proportion of voters who think of the Conservatives as "competent and capable" fell by a precipitous 12 percentage points from 46 per cent in March to 34 per cent now, leaving them two points behind Labour on 36 per cent (down one point since March) but still ahead of the Liberal Democrats on 24 per cent (down six). >>

These figures demonstrate a loss of confidence in the Conservatives.
And of course, the junior partner, the LibDems continue to spiral down.

Hardly surprising for an incumbent govt making unpopular decisions

[Kromovaracun]

Agree with factor30. It's interesting to note that even among those who visit the DT website (who are not necessarily Telegraph readers but are still a bit more likely to support the Conservatives than average), 44% currently rate Labour as more competent.

[ichkeria]

Either there is an uncanny synchronicity of opinion or the figures are actually those for a Populus poll carried out for the Times. The only surprise to me is that it has taken 2 years for the electorate to realise how incompetent the govt is.

[askyourgran]

By not voting at all graham we will be short of a vote either way. I couldn't even contemplate voting for Ed & Ed I would rather chop my voting pencil in two.It pains me to say that I would vote for Smarmy Dave, I had high hopes for him, he is the lesser of the two evils. Lib Dems should pack up and leave the building. I must confess that Ukip keep nagging me, although I'm not completely sure of their real mandate.

[anotheoldgit]

I am not saying that I have much confidence in this coalition party, but many have very short memories of Labour's years in power.

Have they done anything since they were removed from power to make them a more competent party?

Over to you Gromit.

[Graham-W]

askyourgran. Perhaps by abstaining or spoiling our voting forms to reduce turnout to a ridiculously low level is the only way of shaking up all the parties and make them realise that they work for us and not vice versa.

[jno]

ichkeria, this is indeed The Times poll, as the Telegraph report says. It was carried out by Populus so should be a properly sampled survey, not just one taken among Telegraph (or Times) readers.

Labour's ratings have not risen, aog - see the story. The Tories' have fallen as people have watched the various U-turns and unsuccessful financial policies. This could change as the new economic dawn appears, though I will not be putting money on it.

[Zeuhl]

<Have they done anything since they were removed from power to make them a more competent party?>

I don't think you quite understand the figures Old Git

Labour's rating for competence has dropped as well

<<Labour on 36 per cent (down one point since March) >>

The significant stat is that the Conservative (and Lib Dem) rating is plummeting! Much faster than Labour's is.

As i wrote earlier, not surprising for the incumbent in their current situation.

[Brenden]

The most competent party for putting monies into the coffers and getting out of debt is Conservative. The most competent party for spending the monies and leaving us in debt is Labour imo.

[LazyGun]

There has been, since Camz and co got into power, a catalogue of scandal, ranging from phone hacking through to the BSkyB takeover and the frankly either incompetent or dishonest way in which Hunt handled himself, to bankers bonuses, and with security at the Olympics, lack of staff for proper border security and the pisspoor response to the riots last summer. Theresa May has managed to alienate the Police Federation and ACPO - a first for a home secretary, I think.

You had the wholly manufactured PR disaster that was the supposed fuel shortage, with idiot ministers talking about storing jerry cans of fuel.

Add to that the perception of many that Cameron and Osborne just make policy up on the hoof, only to have to retract or modify it later. There is a suspicion amongst many that the NHS reforms are being introduced to lay the groundwork for privatisation of the service, and Landleys performance in consulting with and bringing on board the various professional bodies has been dire.

It feels like a litany of errosr, of poorly handled and poorly thought out policy from a cabinet of multi-millionaires out of touch with common society. A bunch of incompetent lightweights.

Against that backdrop, it is not at all surprising there has been a drop in support for the coalition, most especially the LibDems, who are in danger of becoming extinct. Labour and its various speakers have managed to make comments and noises that chime with the experience of many of the voters.

None of this, of course, actually means anything concrete, except that, if the tories wish to remain in power, they really have to get their act together.

[jake-the-peg]

Wow 52:48 in the Telegraph!

That tells a story and no mistake!

There certainly are short memories

Those for example who forget that Gordon Brown lead an international response to the financial collapse and was brave enough to spend all that money in bailing out the banks and in so doing probably stopped a total collapse of the banking system along with everbody's savings and mortgages!

"Oh but he was responsible"

Really? The opposition has one duty - to highlight what the Government has missed

How did Cameron foresee this? - by running around sating there was *too much* regulation in the city and we should take the brakes off them!


But let's be fair

This Government is not in control - as a coalition it is constantly fighting within itself and in those cercumstances it is hard to look competent.

Not that that's an excuse for Jeremy Hunt

[sandyRoe]

I think all governments get complacent or smug and the electorate give them a bloody nose, usually in mid term council elections, before finally decide it's time for a change and turf them out.
Seems that's happening a bit quicker with this lot.

[jno]

the only excuse for Jeremy Hunt is that he makes the rest of them look good.

[whiskeryron]

Tel me again aog about the days when we had coal mines, steel manufacture, ship building, with plenty of jobs in associated companies, & I believe that all this was pre Maggie Thatcher or am I living in a dream state ?

[sandyRoe]

I will always be grateful to him for the laugh his name provided.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS5mVoqJpUk

[Davethedog]

Well in 2008 prior to the banking collapse the national debt was lower than when Labour was elected in 1997, this in itself tells a story.

The right wing media, as Jake points out, blamed all of the financial ills of this country on Gordon Brown and for some reason seem to constantly avoid the sub prime rate crisis, which was the true reason and was only allowed to happen by the banks.

In 1986 the banks were deregulated and when Labour proposed in 2008 to introduce regulation, they were told by David Cameron that they didn't didn't understand banking and that they would harm the country and its reputation.

The same Gordon Brown who kept us out of the Euro Zone and was condemed for it.

Since the Torys have come to power, their austerity package has hurt the ordinary people of this country of all classes. These people, a great many of whom would have been Tory/Lib dem voters, are now "scroungers" on benefits, yet economicaly many of their own supporters are saying they have it wrong.

Meanwhile the banks and bankers are living the life of Reily, and if thats wrong I haven't seen it contradicted, to the point of lawlessness and yet the Government refuse to bring them to book in anyway.

So for most of us still in work our standard of living falls, those of us that are unemployed are labelled scroungersand to take a job, that doesn't exist, our children can't afford to go to University and disabled people have there only means of making a living denied to them, so their now scroungers.

Labour weren't perfect by any means but at least they seemed to have some awareness of the fact that there are people in this country that are genuiene, honest and in need.

I ask what have the Torys done, where is there manifesto, the NHS is safe in their hands? Public money go's to private companies whislt we get less of a service.

And there answer to everything is its Labours fault, then Labour put it right because the Torys can't.

[Gromit]

Any party with May, Hunt and Osborne in it can never be called competent.