Miliband’s approval rating skyrockets

150106milibandsmile

Here’s a little something you might not have noticed amid all the gossip about Nicola Sturgeon snuggling up to the Tories and the Tories snuggling up to UKIP: Public approval of Ed Miliband has rocketed by 8.1 per cent in the last fortnight.

That’s right – the man people were once denouncing for being a bit weird-looking to be PM has finally had a chance to show people what he’s really like, and people really like him.

In total – since January – public support for Ed Miliband has surged by 18.3 per cent, according to polls by the Daily Mirror and Survation.

141026cameronNow, sure, the Mirror is a Labour-supporting paper, so some of you may feel justified in suggesting it’s bound to get more Labour supporters, and this would skew the results. But, you know what? These polls tend to survey as wide a demographic as possible, so that criticism doesn’t really carry any weight. The simple fact that Miliband’s rating was at minus 14.6 per cent in January is ample demonstration of the fact.

He still has a way to go now – his rating is only at 4.4 per cent – but the climb of 18.3 per cent is far more than any other leader (including Ms Sturgeon).

The poll also shows overwhelming support for his plan to stamp out zero-hour contracts, with 64 per cent in favour and only 15 per cent opposed.

With more than a month left until polling day, there’s plenty of time for him to gain even more ground. Meanwhile, people are starting to say David Cameron doesn’t look interested in sticking around.

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16 Comments

  1. John Glyn April 4, 2015 at 11:43 pm - Reply

    Has it? You could have fooled me!

    • Mike Sivier April 5, 2015 at 1:49 pm - Reply

      That’s what happens when you don’t pay attention!

  2. Rupert Mitchell (@rupert_rrl) April 5, 2015 at 7:17 am - Reply

    The big surprise to me is that it has taken people so long to recognise, that of all the contestants for PM, Ed Miliband is the most sincere in wanting to provide a decently run country for all.

    • Barry Davies April 7, 2015 at 10:19 am - Reply

      Or is it that they have had enough of the sleaze ballyhoo has been living in number 10 for the last 5 years and his lap dog clegg.

  3. peter gibson April 5, 2015 at 9:03 am - Reply

    I think inherently Mr Milliband comes accross as a very decent guy, lets hope I am not wrong

  4. Florence April 5, 2015 at 9:25 am - Reply

    One in the eye for all those nay-sayers that Labour / Miliband had left it “too late” to recover support etc. My prediction is, barring some major event, Labour will benefit every day from having equal coverage on the MSM, and the flaccid Tory leadership and dirty campaign will work against them.Yea!

  5. Jim Round April 5, 2015 at 11:40 am - Reply

    If you can bear it, have a look at today’s S*n, how much of a barrel scraping is that, handwritten note???
    Do you remember “Benn on the couch”?
    They keep trying to rubbish Milliband.
    What was it they said before the 2010 GE in one of their “S*n Says”
    Something along the lines of we won’t tell you how to vote???
    Ha ha.

    • Mike Sivier April 5, 2015 at 2:00 pm - Reply

      I’ll take your word for it.

  6. TomMagenta April 5, 2015 at 4:08 pm - Reply

    I have to admit, I’ve enjoyed Milliband’s performance so far. He reminds me of Obama in his first term! I do feel that he ought to go further, however, in debunking the oft-boasted Tory “achievements”. I know the media is against him for the most part, but there are many other ways of going about it. There’s a massive treasure trove of evidence against the Tories’ claims that Labour must surely be aware of by now?

    Nonetheless, I’m glad there’s at least some growing confidence in Labour. Even though they aren’t my ideal choice, I understand they are our best bet at kicking out our horrible government and I’ll support them on that regard.

    Now let’s hope for the best and give Millibama our support. :)

  7. Gary April 5, 2015 at 9:20 pm - Reply

    As the time draws closer people’s opinions solidify. Feelings will polarise. Of course that’s NOT always a good thing. The Tories are playing a dangerous game. On the one hand they had a poster with Ed Milliband in Alex Salmond’s pocket. This designed to pull support back from UKIP but now he’s saying exactly the opposite because he fears that ANY arrangement, however loose, will see him ousted in May. Not only can you not have it both ways but when you start to smear others by association with YOUR OWN party then you know you’ve got problems!! The latest polling in Scotland suggests that after May there will be NO Tories left whatsoever! Not just toxic, poisonous!!!

  8. Rik April 6, 2015 at 4:11 pm - Reply

    Please god let eddy win ge2015

  9. Shaun April 6, 2015 at 7:24 pm - Reply

    It’s a remarkable tribute to the ingenuity of the Tory media machine that it can turn loosing all of its MPs in Scotland into a weakness for Labour. This is not quite as good as turning the failure of deregulation of the financial markets into a vote winner for the party who sang deregulation, deregulation – tearing down the walls of regulation that hold financial entrepreneurs back’ into a vote loser for a party that espouses greater control of financial markets.

    • Mike Sivier April 6, 2015 at 11:05 pm - Reply

      Do you really think so? I don’t think it’s going to help them.

      • Shaun April 7, 2015 at 8:49 pm - Reply

        Mike, my point is that these should be areas from which we are able to attach their economic and socially destructive ideology. They same to have an unfair advantage or uncanny ability to frame the argument so that the wrong questions are being asked. For example, not was Labour to blame for the financial crash or are Labour’s current policies going to ruin their economic success, but, rather why/how did deregulation of the financial services market cause a global recession and to the latter question have the Tories economic policies over the last five years worked (see Simon Wren-Lewis’ mainly macro blog) . For details how these failures should have been examined. These comments noted, I’ve retained great respect Ed Milliband (since I saw him interviewed as Environment leader on Channel 4, many years ago) and I think he’s doing incredibly well, has side-stepped numerous potential traps which are best not mentioned, it’s the one-sidedness of the of the battle that irks me.

  10. Jack Back April 7, 2015 at 11:57 am - Reply

    The Tories are getting really desperate, most of the things they say or Tweet are silly attacks against Ed Miliband.

    Remember what it’s been like under the coalition..

    Remember all the hated Tory/ Lib Dem policies and out they have blamed every day people for the problems created by bankers. The same bankers Cameron said were ‘over regulated’.

    Remember they have raised taxes, including VAT every 2.5 months that they have been in government.

    • Mike Sivier April 7, 2015 at 11:59 am - Reply

      The personal attack on Ed Miliband is Conservative Party campaign policy, apparently. They reckon they can show he’s a weak leader. I reckon they’re wrong.

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