Bad News and Worse News for Labour

The bad news for Labour is the Morgan poll taken from 4 to 17 February which has National’s lead grow from 9% to 19%.

The worse news is the Fairfax/Neilsen poll taken from 13 to 19 February which has National’s lead grow from 5% (in Nov) to a staggering 23%.

Key also leads Clark as Preferred PM by a huge 15% – 44% to 29%.

Also worth noting that most of the damaging Owen Glenn stuff happened after these polls concluded!

The Dom Post is saying Clark’s leadership must now be under serious scrutiny.  While it will be scrutinised I do not believe there is any prospect at all of a coup before the election. Apart from her power throughout the party, Goff wouldn’t want the job at the moment.  And the time for a voluntary handover has passed.  There was a small chance if the polls had been this bad say all of the latter half of next year Clark may have thrown it in over Christmas, but National’s stumble in October gave them hope.

Of course things are not over – a lot can happen in nine months – but it would seem to be very much National’s election to lose.  And Labour’s problem may be that voters simply are not listening to them anymore, and not listening to Helen especially.