Poll Archive
Northern Rock
Fieldwork: February 20th 2008
published by The Times
If Britain's economy were to face problems in the months or years ahead, who would you most trust to deal with it in the best interests of Britain, David Cameron & the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, or Gordon Brown & the Chancellor of the Exchequer Alastair Darling?
[Change since February 1st-3rd shown in brackets]
| All | Men | Women | AB | C1 | C2 | DE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown & Darling | 38% | 41% | 35% | 40% | 35% | 40% | 37% |
| Change | +5% | +8% | +1% | +5% | +2% | +11% | +2% |
| Cameron & Osborne | 34% | 33% | 34% | 36% | 34% | 33% | 32% |
| Change | -2% | -7% | +1% | -5% | 0% | -9% | +2% |
| Neither/Don't know | 26% | 25% | 29% | 22% | 30% | 25% | 31% |
| Change | -2% | 1% | 8% | 0% | -2% | -3% | 0% |
| Net Brown & Darling | 4% | 8% | 1% | 4% | 1% | 7% | 5% |
| Change | +7% | +15% | 0% | +10% | +2% | +20% | 0% |
How much do you think each of the following is to blame for the problems experienced by Northern Rock?
| A great deal | Somewhat | Not at all | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Labour government | 21% | 37% | 31% |
| Change since September | 1% | 4% | -7% |
| Financial problems in the American mortgage market | 32% | 34% | 19% |
| Change since September | -10% | 0% | 8% |
| The management of Northern Rock | 51% | 25% | 13% |
| Change since September | 22% | -17% | -5% |
| The Bank of England and City authorities | 18% | 46% | 24% |
| Change since September | 3% | 5% | -9% |
| Other banks & financial institutions | 17% | 44% | 28% |
| Change since September | 7% | 2% | -10% |
The government announced earlier this week that Northern Rock would be nationalised. It argues that this is the best way to protect the loans and guarantees given to the Bank since it got into trouble last autumn. The Government had tried to find a private sector buyer for the Bank but says that the offers they received did not guarantee that the taxpayer would be repaid for the loans that have been made. The Government now plans to sell the Bank at some point in the future. Please say whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements:
| % agreeing | All | Men | Women | AB | C1 | C2 | DE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The government is right to nationalise Northern Rock | 49% | 56% | 42% | 49% | 51% | 50% | 45% |
| The government should have tried harder to find a private sector buyer for Northern Rock | 69% | 63% | 75% | 64% | 71% | 70% | 71% |
| The government should not have provided funding to keep Northern Rock operating as a going concern | 49% | 49% | 48% | 46% | 48% | 48% | 53% |
| Agree | Disagree | Don't know | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The government is right to nationalise Northern Rock | 49% | 40% | 11% |
| The government should have tried harder to find a private sector buyer for Northern Rock | 69% | 24% | 6% |
| The government should not have provided funding to keep Northern Rock operating as a going concern | 49% | 44% | 7% |
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, has been criticised in recent weeks for his changes of policy over the taxation of capital gains and foreigners working Britain as well as for his handling of Northern Rock. Some people have suggested that he should resign. Do you agree or disagree that AD should resign as Chancellor?
| All | Men | Women | AB | C1 | C2 | DE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agree | 38% | 38% | 39% | 34% | 32% | 48% | 43% |
| Disagree | 50% | 52% | 47% | 59% | 56% | 38% | 42% |
©2008 All text copyright Populus Limited