The Evening Standard have a lot of detail in the latest Ipsos Mori poll. But the interesting bit lies in the fact that the Conservative party is still disliked by more people than like it (55%-38%), whilst the Labour has people evenly split between the two (45% – 46%).
The real difference arises in the leaders’ ratings, with May’s positives (60%) towering over both her own negatives (33%) and that of her party’s (55%), whilst Corbyn’s are somewhat reversed with just 37% of the sample going positive and 54% negative.
The relation between the two is fascinating. The governing party’s high negatives might suggest the romance with May is more personal than political per se. The Tories may still be seen as the nasty party, but Cameron’s more powerful legacy may have been in neutering Labour’s public voice.
In that light then Corbyn can hardly be seen as the cause of Labour’s demise but more as a symptom of its loss of a strong public voice and presence under Cameron’s previous adversaries at the dispatch box, ie Brown and Miliband.
That such a poorly rated leader (facing a still strongly disliked Tory party) looks likely to be returned as such is a marker of just how abject Labour’s position has become.
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
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