The Liberal Democrats average poll rating (21.6%) in January was the highest ever since polling began at the start of an election year - eight points above their average rating in January 2001 and nine points above their average rating in January 1997.
Stone Liberal Democrats are celebrating resounding successes in coming within inches of toppling the Tories in the St. Michael's ward by-elections. Richard Stevens and Derek Boult both leapt into second place - Richard was only 55 votes adrift in the Borough Council election and Derek was only 36 votes behind in the Town Council election.
Parmjit Singh Gill MP, Member of Parliament for Leicester South, commenting on the Climate Change conference being held today at the Hadley Centre in Exeter, said:
The Rt Hon Charles Kennedy MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, today launched his Party's campaign to win the votes of students at the General Election. In a speech to students at the London School of Economics, Mr Kennedy stressed the importance of the student vote, and particularly its role in deciding the results in a number of key seats.
Analysis of opinion polls from January shows the Liberal Democrats scoring more highly than in any January of an election year since political polling began. Looking at all published polls, the party's average poll rating (21.6%) in January 2005 was around eight points above the average Lib Dem rating in January 2001 (13.7%) and nine points above the party's average in January 1997 (12.4%). By contrast Labour are down from an average of 50.6% in 1997 and 48.7% in 2001 to just 37.1% and the Tories score an average of just 32.1%, exactly the same as in January 2001.
Today's front page story concerning the likely rise in Council Tax due to the revaluation of all our houses just highlights the increasing problems this horrendous tax incurs.