Peter Kellner: The Wages of Spin

“Things can only get better”, sang enthusiastic Labour activists on the night of the party’s landslide victory back in 1997.

According to ministers and, indeed, official statistics, things mostly have got better. But that’s not the verdict of the jury that counts: the voters. They have become so fed up with Labour’s spin machine that they disbelieve virtually everything the Government says – even when it’s true.

YouGov’s large-scale poll for the Sun makes this devastatingly clear. Even after last year’s recession, average living standards are one-fifth higher than when Labour came to power – but far more people say they are worse off (44 per cent) than better off (28 per cent) than they were in 1997.

Despite smaller class sizes, better exam results and thousands of new school buildings, more people think state schools are now worse (34 per cent) rather than better (26 per cent).

Crime rates have fallen steadily over the past 12 years, yet three times as many voters think crime has gone up (49 per cent) than down (15 per cent).

In just one area does Labour win more bouquets than brickbats. Thirty-four per cent think the NHS has improved, while 31 per cent think it has got worse.  But, given the vast amounts of money spent on health, and the virtual end of long waiting lists, ministers must have hoped for far more gratitude from the electorate.

Given these figures, ministers  might be shocked, but should not be surprised, to learn that a mere 17 per cent of the electorate think Labour’s rule overall has been “good” or “excellent”, while 44 per cent say it has been “poor” or “terrible”. (Thirty-five per cent strike a middle course, saying “fair”, with Labour having done a mixture of good and bad things.)

In fact, the only real surprise is why the Tories are not heading for a landslide victory. This is because millions of swing voters have yet to decide where to place their affections. They have fallen out of love with Labour in a big way – but most have not yet fallen in love with the Conservatives.

71% of Welsh would donate their organs to help others

Research by YouGov on behalf of The Kidney Wales Foundation has found that 71% of respondents would donate their organs in order to help others.

Two thirds of respondents supported a ‘system where people were presumed to want to donate organs unless they, or after death their family, said otherwise.’

The Kidney Wales Foundation has been campaigning for a change in the law for some time, and has welcomed the announcement from Edwina Hart AM, Minister for Health and Social Services, that the Welsh Assembly Government will move to a system of soft opt out for organ donation.

‘Soft opt out’ assumes a Welsh Resident’s consent has been given unless:

• They have joined an opt out register

• They cannot be identified

• The person’s place of residence cannot be identified

• The wishes of the deceased can be proven to be contrary after relatives have been contacted

• Immediate relatives object.

The charity has high hopes for the scheme. When Belgium introduced the opt-out system in 1986 its national rate of organ donation rose by 55% within five years. Belgians can take themselves off the Register at their local town hall, but only 2% have done so since the law was introduced.

Kate Winslet has the most desirable celebrity body

A recent YouGov poll for Slimming World has shown that Kate Winslet has the most desirable celebrity body, with 16% of respondents ranking her number one. The curvy Kelly Brook came a close second with 15%.

The most popular were as follows:

Kate Winslet
Kelly Brook
Halle Berry
Cheryl Cole
Beyonce
Megan Fox
Lily Allen
Keeley Hazell
Sienna Miller
Kate Moss
Jordan (Katie Price)
Victoria Beckham

Binge Drinking & Unprotected Sex

Many people enjoy a drink over the Christmas period, and unplanned drunken romantic trysts have played a rich part in British culture for centuries. However, new research suggests that this kind of behaviour is more widespread than we might think.

27% of respondents aged 18-34 reported that they have had unprotected sex due to being too drunk to remember to use contraception, while 48% stated that they drink more alcohol over the festive period compared to other times of the year.

Regrets were common, as 45 % confessed to having sex under the influence of alcohol that they wouldn’t have had if sober. The ubiquitous nature of binge-drinking will be of concern to some: 73% of male respondents and 64% of female respondents stated that they have drunk to the point where they would describe themselves as ‘out of it’.

The findings have emerged from YouGov research on behalf  of sexual health charity Marie Stopes International.