Where have all the polls gone ?

It's been some weeks now since an opinion poll came out. This is slightly annoying as a lot has gone on in the last few weeks. I'm very curious to know if any of the discussions on the "anti-terror" legislation are encouraging people to change their votes.

I suspect not. It's probable that the story of Margaret Dixon has done more to affect people's minds than Charles Clarke's chest-thumping. There's not really much political capital that can be made, although it is nice to see the Tories rallying around something and being able to call themselves an Opposition. It can only be good, unifiying experience which should improve their standing for the forthcoming "official" campaign.

It's funny how all the latest shenanigans on the domestic front have pushed out the continued carnage in Iraq. I suspect this is preferable for Blair. While Iraq is not topping the news, people forget and start to think that maybe things are getting better there. They aren't, and the Lib Dems will have to press this one hard to keep it on the agenda. People should not forget how much they were lied to be the government. It's nice to see the Independent are not going to let this go with their story this morning about how Blair broke the ministerial code to keep the legal advice on war from the Cabinet... but there are small voice in the wilderness.

It's perverse that the worse it gets in Iraq, the better it is for the Lib Dems. If anything, that really shows just how many people consider the Lib Dems as nothing more than a protest vote. They are going to struggle this election, and no mistake.