Poll shows that neither Cameron nor Miliband are trusted to perform safe cuts.
Poll shows that neither Cameron nor Miliband are trusted to perform safe cuts
A ComRes poll carried out for The Independent shows that the majority of the public rejects George Osborne’s plan to cut public spending faster to clear the deficit.
Only 30 per cent of people agree that government spending should be reduced faster, even if this means cutting public services, while 66 per cent disagree with this approach. This means the public disagree with Osborne’s austerity plan by a 2-1 margin.
As the chancellor publishes his Charter for Budget Responsibility, aimed at clearing the deficit on day-to-day spending on services by 2017-18, the ComRes poll found that 36 per cent of people support such a legal requirement to balance the books, while 59 per cent reject it.
People do not trust either David Cameron or Ed Miliband to cut public spending without damaging public services, despite both promising to do so. The two leaders had identical scores in this part of the poll, with 28 per cent of people saying they trusted them to safely cut spending and 67 per cent saying they do not.
As in the previous ComRes survey for the Independent, Labour has a three point lead.
Labour is on 32 per cent (up one point), the Conservatives on 29 per cent (up one point), UKIP on 16 per cent (down two points), the Liberal Democrats on 12 per cent (up three points), the Greens on 5 per cent (down two points) and others on 6 per cent (down one point).
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21 Responses to “Majority of the public reject Osborne’s austerity plan”
Norfolk29
Try telling the Germans that the austerity they are suffering is all a figment of their imagination as all austerity is in the UK. It is not 99% that are being screwed in the UK but the 30% who are working on either minimum wage, zero hour contracts or on less hours than they want. I don’t want less liquidity but accept that if we had a normal economy the banks and financial sector would be taking most of the liquidity and, until we find a way of stopping them, we are better off with less growth. The Spirit of 45 was a delusion. The Germans had recovered their lead in industrial output by 1952 while we were heading for 20 years as the sick man of Europe.
Norfolk29
Balls plans the removal of the deficit, as soon as possible.
Leon Wolfeson
Then he’d oppose austerity. As he doesn’t…
Leon Wolfeson
Germany’s austerity is hurting their economy, and it’s a *choice* made by Merkel there.
Your denial of the wider negative effects of austerity – shrinking GDP – are just sad, as you call recovering rather than suppressing the economy a “delusion”.
Norfolk29
Germany’s austerity is totally unnecessary and is politically inspired by Merkel as a sop to the effects that German efficiency has had on Greece and Italy. Having bankrupted most of their neighbours Germany is taking a rest while it decides what to do next. Well, Italy and Greece will simply leave the Euro and start withdrawing from the EU by one means or another. The Greek elections will be the start of the process.
Regarding austerity in the UK, which is also unnecessary, and used by Cameron and Osborne to shrink the state, the main effect is on the 30% of the population that are low skilled and low educated. Most of them do not vote (try canvassing in some working class areas of the country if you do not believe me) and I believe this is the main reason why they are so badly treated. If they voted, as the middle class and OAP’s vote, they would prevent any Tory chancellor from introducing the bedroom tax or the methods currently used by IDS to remove benefits from people who fail arbitrary tests.