Message to the party leaders: grassroots view on our poll
Updated on 04 February 2009
Our panel of leading political bloggers on what their party leaders should take from today's poll of key marginal constituencies.
Channel 4 News asked three of the country's leading grassroots political bloggers, who joined us to discuss our last poll in October, for the message they would like to give their party leaders based on today's poll.
Jag Singh, LabourHome.org
"We desperately need to work on our messaging - this poll projects a 13 per cent swing from the 2005 election results, and we've got to do something about it.
"Voters know that Cameron is a lightweight, and this is compounded by the fact that the majority of voters want Ken Clarke to replace George Osborne as the Conservative chancellor.
"While we do readily accept that at this point in time Gordon is the best person for the job, we've got to start thinking about getting our messages to resonate not just with the Labour base, but with middle England.
"The Conservatives are doing well in this area, by zeroing in on GB's apparent indecisiveness, and claiming he's out of touch.
"The Tories are constantly barraging voters on the doorstep, online, in the papers, on the radio and telly, and it's time we fought back, on our own terms.
"There is still a general distrust of the Tories, with large segments of the population agreeing that they didn't do very much to help the victims of recession in the 1980s.
"That said, they aren't entirely convinced that the current Labour government's measures to reduce the impact of the economic downturn are effective, and a majority don't believe the money spent on these stimulus packages is justified.
"I think we need to make Labour relevant again, before the Conservative brand becomes completely decontaminated. The prime minister needs to step up to the plate, and be himself; honest, blunt, but most importantly, to the point.
"We need to instil confidence in the economy and prove to the taxpayers that we're worthy of their trust - stop worrying about the Tories and get on with the job of steering us out of this crisis."
Jag Singh is co-founder of LabourHome.
Tim Montgomerie, ConservativeHome.com
"These are encouraging results for the Conservative leadership. They show that the Tory position is already strong and will get stronger as the immediate crisis passes.
"The Conservatives are certainly seen as the party of the future. Although Gordon Brown appears to be succeeding in blaming America for the recession he is not succeeding in his ridiculous attempt to present the Conservatives as the 'do nothing' party.
"There's only one number in this poll that should continue to worry you a little, Mr Cameron, and that's the heavyweight/ lightweight number.
"I'm not sure it's easy to do much about this number while in opposition. As soon as you are in Downing Street - entering and leaving through that famous door - you'll immediately appear more statesmanlike to voters.
"The one thing to avoid in the meantime is rushing policy announcements. It is clear that you are heading for victory. All policy announcements, appointments and performances at PMQs must now be about communicating the idea that you are the prime minister in waiting."
Tim Montgomerie is editor of ConservativeHome.
James Graham, Quaequam Blog!
"This poll tells us nothing about how the Lib Dems might be doing in terms of seats because of the constituencies chosen, but nonetheless it does give us some idea about how the party is doing in terms of fighting the 'air war'.
"The headline figures show a small, albeit statistically insignificant, improvement in the party's performance. What is more significant is that enthusiasm for both Brown and Cameron has cooled since October.
"People seem to be looking for an alternative. If this becomes a trend, Nick Clegg will be going into the next election with all to play for.
"What Nick needs to be doing over the next few months is presenting himself as a genuine alternative to the business as usual which both Brown and Cameron represent.
"He has started to do this over the last couple of months by explicitly linking the economic failure with the failure of the political system which presided over it, and by unveiling his 'green road to recovery' plan to invest in technologies and infrastructure designed to boost the economy, reduce carbon emissions and tackle fuel poverty.
"We need more practical, costed initiatives like this and fewer vague, aspirational statements which tend to raise more questions than they answer. I'm optimistic that he has now hit the right tone and this poll offers some limited evidence that it is starting to be noticed by the public."
James Graham writes Quaequam Blog!, last year's Lib Dem blog of the year.
