Latest news with #publicopinion
National Post
8 hours ago
- Politics
- National Post
John Ivison: Carney's Canada advances terrorists, not Mideast peace
Three-quarters of Israelis want an end to the war (if Hamas releases all 50 remaining hostages — of whom only 20 are thought to be still alive). They are increasingly aware Israel is becoming a pariah to many. Public opinion across the West is largely united in opposition to Israel. A new Gallup poll this week suggests only one-third of Americans support the Jewish state, down 10 points from last September, while six in 10 disapprove. Earlier polls indicate similar levels of support in Canada. Hamas, which has called on all nations to follow France's lead, must be delighted. As veteran Israeli journalist Nadav Eyal told the Call Me Back podcast, Hamas has always tried to convince the world that Gaza is the victim of its own genocide, in pursuit of the legitimacy it needs for nationhood. Those efforts have proven to be in vain until now, when the facts on the ground have lent credence to such claims. 'This was always the project of Yahya Sinwar (the late former Hamas leader) — that only through violence would the state be born, through sacrifice and jihad,' he said. There is a very good reason why for 75 years, Canada has insisted on the establishment of a Palestinian state as part of, but not before, a negotiated two-state solution: it is intended to be an incentive to bring the Palestinians to the table. Former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon raised the possibility of Palestinian statehood two decades ago, on condition that the Palestinians demilitarize and give up on claims of 'the right of return' to Israel. The only certainty is that Hamas wants a one-state solution from 'the river to the sea' While it is true that the two-state solution is dead for now, and that no talks between the two sides have been held since 2014, in time the prospects for a lasting peace may improve. It makes no sense to have pre-emptively handed over a bargaining chip that could increase the chances of a lasting resolution. Canada's backing for Palestinian statehood would not make it a reality. The U.S. remains firmly opposed and will wield its veto on the Security Council at the United Nations. But momentum is growing. In the last UN vote in May 2024, 143 countries voted to recognize an independent Palestine (Canada abstained). It was not clear what anyone was recognizing. Did it include East Jerusalem as capital of the new country? Did it grant legitimacy to the Fatah government in the West Bank or Hamas in Gaza? The only certainty is that Hamas wants a one-state solution from 'the river to the sea.' It is time for Israel to end a war that is not going its way. All of Canada's energies should be directed towards that goal, rather than giving succour to its enemies.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's net approval hits lowest point of second term in DDHQ average
President Trump's net approval rating reached its lowest point yet of his second term in office in the Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) polling average. Trump's net approval rating reached 9.2 points underwater Monday, the lowest it's been since DDHQ started tracking his approval numbers during his second term. It found an average of 53.4 percent of respondents disapproved of his job performance, the highest number recorded since he returned to the White House in January. His net approval slightly improved Tuesday, but his approval rating fell to its second-lowest level of his term at 44 percent. The declines are part of a broader rough week of polling for Trump, who has seen some weakening on multiple questions evaluating his standing with the public. A drop in the percentage of independents who approve of his job performance could be one explanation for the change, as it dropped almost 3 points over the past week. His net favorability rating also dropped by a larger margin of 2 points over the past week, with 52.6 percent viewing him unfavorably and 44.9 percent viewing him favorably as of Tuesday. The last time his unfavorable percentage was at this level was early May. Vice President Vance's net unfavorability rating also rose, though he overall remains slightly more popular than Trump, only underwater by 6 points, compared to just under 5 points last week. The percentage of people who say the country is on the wrong track has remained roughly static for weeks, but almost 54 percent believe it's going in the wrong direction, while 39 percent say it's going in the right direction, according to the average. Slightly less than a majority said the country was on the wrong track briefly as recently as early last month. The news could be a positive sign for Democrats, who have taken more of a lead in the generic congressional ballot, which could be an indicator for the parties' performances in the midterms next year. Democrats led 46.5 percent to 43.2 percent as of Sunday, a shift of more than 2 points in their favor over the past week. Democrats have led in the average on this question throughout much of Trump's term, but by much smaller margins of less than 1 point typically. The midterms are still more than a year away, and much can change, but Democrats leading the generic ballot by at least a few points is a decent target for them to be positioned to win back a majority in the House. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Telegraph
7 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
A summer of anti-migrant riots would suit our elites down to the ground
For our elites, peaceful protests would present a far thornier problem than riots, because it would be so much harder to dismiss all the participants as hate-crazed, bloodthirsty white supremacists. And so, for once, they might actually have to listen to the public – and, even worse, do what the public wants. Still, there's no denying that unrest is possible. The question is: who or what might bring it about? On Tuesday, Nigel Farage accused Essex police of trying to 'force a confrontation' by escorting Left-wing counter-protesters to the demonstration in Epping. Assistant chief constable Stuart Hooper, however, insisted they only offered assistance because 'the police have a duty to facilitate free assembly'. Do they? That's interesting, because last year an officer from the Met threatened a Jewish man with arrest if he remained in the vicinity of an anti-Israel march in London. 'I'm not accusing you of anything,' said the officer, 'but I'm worried about the reaction to your presence.' A curiously different approach. But perhaps one's right to free assembly is dependent on where one is. Or who. All we can say for sure is this. Anyone who resorts to violence at these protests will not be helping to upend the status quo.
Telegraph
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Blair's secret scheme to make immigration more popular
Sir Tony Blair considered a secret plan to make immigration more popular when he was prime minister – just weeks before opening Britain's borders to thousands of Eastern Europeans, newly released files reveal. Labour ministers came up with the 'marketing' strategy to overcome what they described as 'disproportionate' concerns about the issue and to communicate the 'big picture' to the public instead. The plan, which aimed to steer public opinion towards a 'more sensible conversation on immigration', included details of Home Office -commissioned research which found that many Britons believed borders were 'open and overrun' . In a handwritten note, Sir Tony described research he had been reading on immigration as 'pretty grim but utterly believable'. The then prime minister was sent the 15-page strategy document in March 2004 by Lord Blunkett, the then home secretary, who shared it in 'strict confidence' and warned: 'You will see that this research, and the references to it in the paper, could be explosive in the wrong hands.' The paper, titled 'Having a sensible conversation about migration', claimed that the then government had made 'real progress' in reducing the impact of stories about asylum seekers, so that they were 'no longer automatic front-page tabloid material every time'. However, it then detailed public research which 'confirms that immigration is an issue of real concern to people' and noted there were 'no obvious signs of a breakthrough as a result of what has been achieved so far and little recognition or credit for what the government has done on asylum'. It is not clear if the scheme was ever enacted. However, the paper came weeks before Sir Tony opened Britain's borders to thousands of Eastern European migrants. The Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia joined the EU in 2004. The decision by the then government to allow immediate unrestricted access to migrants from those countries was widely seen as having contributed to a major increase in immigration in the years that followed, with net EU migration surging to more than 200,000 a year. 'Public is looking for scapegoats' Summing up the views of the public, the strategy document said: 'People feel they do not have permission to freely express their fears'. It added: 'In a world of rapid change and uncertainty, people are fearful and look for explanations and scapegoats,' while claiming that 'a disproportionate amount of fear and uncertainty' was 'channelled towards' migration. Discussing the communications challenges in getting across a pro-migration message, the paper included a textbook-style graphic of a human eye looking towards a circle with the words 'bogus', 'scroungers' and 'out of control', which blocked out another larger circle labelled the 'big picture'. The paper said the 'big picture' was being crowded out by 'an almost cliched perception of all immigrants being 'bogus' and 'scroungers'.' 'The challenge is finding new ways to package and communicate these issues in a way that circumvents the eclipse and makes it easier for people to see the big picture,' it added. 'More sensible conversation needed' The strategy document recommended a new approach to improve the public's 'understanding' of migration and 'correct public misconceptions about the scale, nature and potential benefits of managed migration' and 'open the way for a more sensible conversation on immigration'. 'Shifting public attitudes on immigration is a huge challenge', it added. 'It requires a radically different communication approach. Media fire-fighting, whilst important, will not be sufficient – there are too many fires to put out and editorial and public opinion are too entrenched. 'In effect, many parts of the media are party to generating and sustaining the eclipse. The more they are fed with immigration stories, the bigger the eclipse becomes and the more the big picture is obscured.' The then government planned a campaign to show action was being taken to tackle the issue and to 'broaden the migration conversation and explain why managed migration is important to us as a nation.' It hoped to 'reduce the impact of the media-driven 'eclipse' by ensuring that the action that the government is taking is seen as a concerted and cohesive programme, and that this package of measures is communicated to the public with impact.' The paper detailed a table showing plans to advertise the advantages of migration and a PR campaign to demonstrate that migrants made a positive contribution to society. The files relating to the strategy have only been released up to March 2004, before its planned launch in July that year. In an annex on the findings of polling and focus group research, the paper revealed that participants were 'overwhelmingly of the view that the UK does not have an effective immigration policy' and that they 'feel that our traditional tolerance has been exploited and become a major weakness'. It said: 'They have a sense that our borders are completely open and overrun. 'Both focus groups and polling suggest that these intolerant views can be held by people who really do value our multicultural society and are genuinely proud of our tolerant heritage. But they feel that the 'uncontrolled flood' of immigrants is undermining these noble aspirations. 'Strongly held negative impressions are more the result of anger that things have 'got to this state' rather than outright racism. There is real resentment of political correctness – which is considered a reason why immigration and race cannot be discussed openly and therefore tackled effectively.'
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Damning numbers show what people think of Welsh Labour in every part of Wales
More than half of people in Wales don't think the Welsh Labour Government is doing a good job for Wales. Pollsters Beaufort asked people "Do you think the Welsh Labour Government is doing a good job for Wales". Of the 1,000 people just 29% believe they are doing a good job. The responses showed 57% thought they were not, with 29% answering yes, and 15% said they didn't know. The polling showed slight differences depending on where people were. People in north and mid Wales (Wrexham, Flintshire, Denbighshire, Conwy, Anglesey, Gwynedd, Powys, Ceredigion) were more likely to think the Welsh Labour government was doing a poor job (60% answered no). For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here. READ MORE: Police confirm why M4 was closed in both directions READ MORE: Police issue statement about Welsh hotel to 'dispel rumours' Those in south west Wales and Valleys (Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent) were in the middle - with 56% answering no, while in Cardiff and south east Wales (Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan, Torfaen, Monmouthshire, Newport) Labour had more support (33%) although more of those questioned (54%) said no. Slightly more men than women answered "no" in response to the question, and in terms of ages, those aged over 55 were much more likely to feel Labour was not doing a good job than those aged between 16 and 34 (with 66% of older people answering no compared to 42% of the younger age group). Those was an almost even split among 16 to 34s between those saying Labour is doing a good job in government in Wales and those saying they're not (at 40% and 42% respectively of this age group). Older people were the most negative, with 66% of the over 55s saying they are not doing a good job, compared to 22% saying the reverse. The next Senedd election is taking place in May 2026. So far, all relevant polls show Labour is in for a fight to keep its place as the dominant party. The next election will be fought on new constituencies, with a new voting system and will result in 96 Senedd members elected rather than 60. Polling is consistently showing Labour could come third behind Plaid Cymru and Reform UK. Labour is projected to get around 18% however their rivals, from both sides of the political spectrum, are polling in the high 20s or even 30% mark. Welsh Labour leader, and First Minister, Eluned Morgan, has repeatedly admitted she thinks Reform UK is a threat to her party. Polling also shows Reform UK could be a threat to Labour at a general election. in June, pollster YouGov has asked people across the UK how they would vote in a general election, and in Wales it shows Reform would take 21 of the 32 seats in Wales. The poll showed in 2024, Labour won a historic 172-seat majority but the poll projects they would not only lose their majority, falling to 178 but become the second party by some distance.
