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Northern Ireland wants Clegg to be the next Prime Minister

By David Gordon
Friday, 30 April 2010

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The Nick Clegg effect has even reached Northern Ireland, with the Liberal Democrat leader emerging as the man most people here want as the next Prime Minister.

A Belfast Telegraph poll has indicated that just over a third of voters in the province would like to see Mr Clegg as the next occupant of 10 Downing Street.

His 34% tally compared to 30% for David Cameron and just 23% for Gordon Brown.

The Liberal Democrat leader has enjoyed a poll ratings surge in recent weeks following strong performances in televised TV debates with his Conservative and Labour counterparts.

The poll also revealed a sharp difference between Protestants and Catholics over the prospect of David Cameron becoming Prime Minister.

Thirty-seven per cent of Protestants surveyed said they wanted the Conservative leader to win the race to power, but only 18% of Catholics held the same view.

Mr Cameron actually had the highest rating of the three party leaders among Protestants — just ahead of Mr Clegg on 34%.

For Catholics, he was by far the least favourite option, with his 18% showing a full eight percentage points behind second placed Gordon Brown.

The Liberal Democrat leader scored highest among Catholics, with 35% wanting him as next Prime Minister.

The poll was predominantly conducted before Mr Brown had his Rochdale “disaster” on Wednesday, when he was recorded describing a 66-year-old grandmother as a “bigoted woman”.

Mr Clegg's climbing poll ratings in Britain have been one of the stories of the General Election battle to date.

The “Clegg effect” began two weeks ago when he was hailed as the clear winner in the historic first televised debate between the party leaders.

The Liberal Democrats do not contest elections in Northern Ireland, although they have fraternal links to the Alliance Party. Gordon Brown's party also does not seek votes here, while the Tories have forged an electoral pact with the Ulster Unionists.

The poll was conducted by Inform Communications between April 22 and 29, with a total of 3,200 people interviewed.

Next Tuesday, the poll's findings on the General Election candidates throughtout the whole of Northern Ireland will be published. These will provide a fascinating snapshot of voting intentions across the province's 18 constituencies, ahead of the actual poll on Thursday.

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30 Comments

Ohhh ayyye ohh ayyye. It's a big wee shoppin' centre in Bal-a-mena haye.

Posted by Oh ayye | 01.05.10, 21:17 GMT

Give the liberals a chance. They cant be any worse than the other two parties and if they are then vote them out in four years. Surely it is that simple? Maybe not, but until they get a chance then we really dont know!

Posted by eddie | 01.05.10, 16:32 GMT

If you want this man you are crazy. He will bring in the EURO and have GB just like Europe. Do not make the mistake that the USA did by voting for Obama. This country has gone to the dogs in one year. It is heart breaking.

Cameron is the man for the county....

Posted by Patricia | 30.04.10, 19:36 GMT

I don't think the televised debates were a good idea it has turned an election into an x-factor stlye contest - Mr Clegg's policies need closer examination - he is a self confessed athiest and would like the muslim call to prayer to be heard throughout the country just like church bells

Posted by aj | 30.04.10, 18:01 GMT

@stephen The Americans are the cousins of the people of Northern Ireland? First time I've heard that. Maybe you should study up on America, especially demographics luv.

I'm baffled as to the popularity of the Tories and Liberal Democrats in Northern Ireland, which is incredibly dependent on the largess of the state. Are people too daft to realise that those parties will slash public spending?

Posted by John | 30.04.10, 17:55 GMT

LibDems would tax us into oblivion, even more than the other scum. Their crazy environmentalists would have us paying £2000 road tax. They are ill equipped to run a country and it would be like selecting a member of the special olympics to take part in the real olympics.

Posted by John | 30.04.10, 17:00 GMT

Isn't it so sad that in N.I. poll responses have to be reported in terms of Catholic or Protestant.

How do other countries ever manage to measure voter opinions without religion?

Posted by Fred D. | 30.04.10, 16:13 GMT

A Geezer | 30.04.10, 10:42
Further embracing all thing EU. What little self determination we have left will soon be gone under the Lib Dems rule. UK Government has already been reduced to almost town council statsus. Mr Clegg wants to take this a lot furthere.

His amnesty policy on immigration leaves the door open to all the 'relatives' to come in too.
I wish we could take everybody form everywhere but reality tells me that there are only so many people that can fit on to these islands. The NHS and the schools are, in many places already over-stretched and the economy is of course bust.

Posted by T J McClean | 30.04.10, 13:54 GMT

And as for the Lib Dems not being represented in NI.....people should realise that Alliance follow the Lib Dem 'whip'.

So you can in effect vote for the Lib Dems through Alliance (something that the Alliance party probably should have made more of recently).

Posted by BenForKing | 30.04.10, 13:50 GMT

Clegg went to an English Public school too, and there is no "a" in Eton.

Posted by J | 30.04.10, 13:44 GMT

Is there any better evidence that the north of Ireland has no future in the UK? The UK is not concerned with the six counties. There are no northern parties (other than UUP) that have counterparts in the UK. If you want Clegg, for whom do you vote? The most hardened Orangeman would have more influence in a United Ireland than in the UK.

Posted by JerryF | 30.04.10, 13:28 GMT

Starter for 10......who is the Lib Dem "spokesperson" for the North/Northern Ireland? Be honest, who can refer to one occassion when Nick Clegg has ever mentioned this place? Futile issue this, nobody here can vote for him anyway.

Posted by New Lodge Terry | 30.04.10, 13:18 GMT

Politics is a game. Clegg plays it like a winner. Cameron has shown himself to be blatantly unable to cut it at the highest level. The Conservatives are an odious party at the best of times, and Cameron (despite his environmentally friendly best efforts) hasn't been able to repair the damage Thatcher wreaked on Northern England, I doubt anyone ever will.

The Tories are proposing deep spending cuts right as the economy emerges from a recession, an idea in direct contravention of basic Keynesian theory for breaking out of a liquidity trap, not to mention the specific advice of the IMF. As Krugman says, running a deficit (even a large one) in a time of deep recession can actually be a good thing.

A hung parliament is what will emerge, with a Lib Dem/Labour coalition very likely.

Posted by Euskal Herria | 30.04.10, 12:40 GMT

There are libtards everywhere, unfortunately.

Posted by WH | 30.04.10, 11:50 GMT

Oh yes change for the sake of change.....DOH! Look at their policies people and then don't complain if they get in and all current illegal immigrants get all the benefits and amnesty....

Posted by Robert | 30.04.10, 11:45 GMT

Seems a pointless survey as we can't vote for their parties...apart from that it almost certain not to happen..and if it does..its unlikely to improve anything in society in the UK. don't forget being a PM doesn't mean you call the shots...you have a room full of advisers that will keep society at the bottom of the list of things to improve.

Posted by Robert | 30.04.10, 11:41 GMT

Why oh why do my fellow working class Portestants hold such fascination with the old Eatonian toffs of the tory party?

Utterly baffling and it shows how perverted politics is here. By rights we should be as socialist and left-leaning as working-class places like Liverpool.

Posted by BenForKing | 30.04.10, 11:05 GMT

Hey there TJ! What daft policies does Mr Clegg have then?

Posted by A Geezer | 30.04.10, 10:42 GMT

what a load of nonsense. Cameron will win easily. Brown is the worst of the three, because of him and Blairs legacy. Clegg is out of his depth and does not know his behind from his elbow.

Posted by stve | 30.04.10, 10:39 GMT