Revealed: What Lib Dem members think of Ed Miliband and David Cameron

by Stephen Tall on August 11, 2013

Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. More than 600 party members have responded, and we’re publishing the full results.

Cameron bounces back as Miliband’s stock falls further among Lib Dems

We’ve been asking this question for almost two years, and over the past year there has been quite a change in fortunes (and back again) for the two party leaders, as this graph illustrates:

Here’s the detail from this month’s survey…

Do you think David Cameron is doing well or badly as Prime Minister?

Total well = 48% (+22%)

Total badly = 47% (-23%)

Do you think Ed Miliband is doing well or badly as leader of the Labour party?

Total well = 20% (-10%)

Total badly = 75% (+11%)

When last we asked what Lib Dem members made of the Tory and Labour leaders, in March 2013, Ed Miliband (net -34%) was ahead of David Cameron (-44%) — albeit both were in negative territory. The last three months, though, have seen a big change. Mr Cameron’s net ratings are positive (just) at 1%; but Mr Miliband’s have plummeted to -55%, the lowest they’ve been since March 2012.

I don’t suppose either are bothered by what Lib Dem members think of them, but it’s an interesting barometer of their credibility as potential partners if there were to be another post-2015 coalition. As I customarily note, by the way, rating David Cameron’s performance as Prime Minister is a subtly different question from rating his performance as Conservative party leader (whether Mr Cameron’s ratings would be higher or lower among Lib Dem members if we asked that question, I don’t know. Though I could hazard a guess).

1,500 Lib Dem paid-up party members are registered with LibDemVoice.org. Just over 600 responded to the latest survey, which was conducted between 19th and 23rd July.

Please note: we make no claims that the survey is fully representative of the Lib Dem membership as a whole. However, LibDemVoice.org’s surveys are the largest independent samples of the views of Lib Dem members across the country, and have in the past offered accurate guides to what party members think.

For further information on the reliability/credibility of our surveys, please refer to FAQs: Are the Liberal Democrat Voice surveys of party members accurate? and polling expert Anthony Wells’ verdict, On that poll of Lib Dem members.

The full archive of our members’ surveys can be viewed at www.libdemvoice.org/category/ldv-members-poll

* Stephen Tall is Co-Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice, a Research Associate for the liberal think-tank CentreForum, and also writes at his own site, The Collected Stephen Tall.

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