DANGER ZONE:

Cameron propels Tories to poll lead (Daily Mail, 10th December 2005)

David Cameron has propelled the Tories into a lead over Labour, according to two opinion polls.

In an ICM poll for the Sunday Telegraph 37% of people said they would vote Conservative if there was a general election tomorrow. Labour was on 35% with the Liberal Democrats on 21%.

When asked how they would vote if the election was between Mr Cameron's Conservatives and a Labour Party led by Gordon Brown, the Tory figure rises to 40%, with Labour on 37% and the Lib Dems, 18%.

Another poll by the Sunday Times has produced similar findings. The YouGov poll for the paper puts the Tories now at 37%, two points up on last month, with Labour down one on 36%. The Lib Dems are on 18%.

The Tories obviously have a lot of heavy lifting to do before they actually win an election, but a loss would likely be as catastrophic for Labour as Bill Clinton's retirement was for the Democrats, because the impetus for Third Way policies appears to similarly exist only at the very top of the Party. It's just a more natural fit for a conservative party because the Left is generally satisfied with the Second Way, even if it doesn't work.

Posted by Orrin Judd at December 10, 2005 6:34 PM