Polls may say Brits hate Bush, but they still love Blair

For the record, these polls don't mention Bush at all, or at least not in the results mentioned in the article below. It is fairly common knowledge though that currently Bush isn't that well liked "on the other side of the pond" and in partnering with Bush, Tony Blair was thought to have hurt his own chances at re-election. Apparently the latest round of pre-election polling data in the UK says otherwise.


From Yahoo! News UK*Ireland, headline is linked:


Saturday April 16, 08:03 PM

Labour heading for victory - polls



Labour is heading for a third General Election victory, according to a clutch of recently-published polls.
But the projected margin of Tony Blair's victory varied as pollsters put his lead over the Tories at anywhere between one and 10%.
According to a YouGov poll for The Sunday Times, Michael Howard has narrowed the gap to just a single point, with Labour on 36%, the Tories on 35% and the Liberal Democrats on 23%.
If repeated on May 5, this would give Tony Blair a majority of nearly 60 seats.
An ICM poll for The Sunday Telegraph found Mr Blair was heading for another landslide victory and a majority of 158. That survey puts Labour on 40%, the Conservatives on 30% and the Lib Dems on 22%.
If that result was repeated in the election, shadow Chancellor Oliver Letwin, shadow home secretary David Davis and shadow education secretary Tim Collins would all lose their seats to the Liberal Democrats, the paper said.
The Conservatives would win just one seat from Labour and end up with 155 MPs, 10 fewer than in 2001.
An ICM poll for the News of the World of key marginal seats also found Labour on course for a landslide victory, this time with a majority of 152 MPs.
That poll found that the swing to the Conservatives in 93 constituencies where they were run a close second by Labour in 2001 was only 1%.
Meanwhile, a poll for the Independent on Sunday found Labour's lead would double if Gordon Brown became leader. Asked who they intend to vote for, 40% said Labour, 34% Conservative and 20% Lib Dem.
But asked how they would vote if the Chancellor took over from Mr Blair, support for Labour rose to 45%, the Tories fell three points to 31% and the Lib Dems dropped four to 16%.




Again, it seems that while Brits don't much care for Bush, they still love Blair, and really don't seem to want the Conservatives to take back the government in the U.K.

Hopefully conspiracy theorists on this side of the pond won't start thinking up scenarios under which Blair wins and W. goes off and starts another war somewhere with his help. Honestly, there have been enough wars, though we (the U.S.A.) do owe Tony Blair thanks for standing by us and acting as a partner, even if the intelligence on WMD was wrong (and note, btw, the intelligence on WMD may have been wrong, but so too was much of the intelligence on which allies were and weren't abusing the oil-for-food program, wasn't it?!?!)
2,750 views 6 replies
Reply #1 Top

The Brits are ambivalent about Bush.  On the Euro side, they think they must acknowlege the frogs and krauts and therefore hate him.  On the heritage side, they know Bush is a straight shooter and love him or hate him, they do admire him for that.

In the end, tho, they really dont give a rats ass.  It is Blair (kind of like Americans in that regard) or his opponent that is all that matters.  period.

Reply #2 Top
Hello from London. None of us like Bush over here - sorry to break that to you!

By and large, the UK public is split over the issue of Europe that you flag (and FYI, frogs and krauts are terms that went out with the dinosaurs) - whether it economically makes sense for Britain to join the European currency or not. It is more an issue of soveriegnty than economics. It's completely wrong that you think opposition to Bush is at the behest of another nation.

Blair is seen as the least worse option because of his domestic agenda; mostly because the Conservatives, like the Democrats in the US, haven't put up a credible opposition to the incumbent.
Reply #3 Top
frogs and krauts are terms that went out with the dinosaurs


---So that means No more french or germans...............YEAH! WOO~HOOH1 HOO~AHH! WOOP~EEH!...........*sees the look on peoples faces* Ahem, well....oh darn, no more krauts 'n' frogs......... :/ :\
Reply #4 Top
was just kidding..ok...
Reply #5 Top

(and FYI, frogs and krauts are terms that went out with the dinosaurs)

No, they have not.  I am 75% french by heritage, and 25% German.  And the terms are very much still in use.  As I am both, I feel no shame in using either to describe my ancestors.

Reply #6 Top

It's completely wrong that you think opposition to Bush is at the behest of another nation.

I did not say that.  If you read my response again, you will see that the British are mixed on whether they feel a greater affinity to the continent, or to the colonies. That is all I said, not that they were dancing to anyone else's tunes.