ComRes on honesty and spending cuts

There is a new ComRes poll up for the BBC's daily politics. It has David Cameron being rated as being more open and honest than Gordon Brown on the need to cut spending (39% to 25%), and the Conservatives seen as likely to be better than Labour on managing the public finances were they to win the next election - though more people think it would make little difference (28% better, 15% worse, 48% same).

ComRes gave people three suggestions to cut the national debt and a majority of people disagreed with each one of them. 67% said they wouldn't be prepared to pay higher taxes, 58% said public sector workers shouldn't have their pay frozen, and 65% said there should not be spending cuts on things like schools and hospitals. It's tempting to say this begs the question of "well, what the hell would you do then!", but of course, there are options other than those ComRes suggested (e.g. spending cuts on other things, tax rises that hit other people) that would probably meet with more public support, whether they would address the problem is a different matter.

Finally ComRes asked whether, if the economy did improve, it would be due to the government's rescue package. 42% said it would be, 51% said it would not.

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