Friday 6 November 2009

73% Want Troops Out of Afghanistan



Firstly I would like to record my condolences to the family of the soldier from the 3rd Battalion The Rifles, who was killed in an explosion near Sangin in central Helmand province yesterday morning. His death brings the number of British military personnel who have died in Afghanistan since the mission began in October 2001 to 230.

Mike Smithson at PoliticalBetting.com has analysed the latest YouGov poll which had a sample of 1,021.

The big news from Channel 4's point of view, (they commissioned the poll), is the response to the Afghanistan question. A total of 35% said all troops should be brought homed immediately, 38% wanted withdrawal in "the next year or so", and just 20% said they should continue as long as the Afghan government wants them there.

Amongst the 55+ age group 77% wanted withdrawal either now or within the next year or so. There wasn't that much of a split between party supporters on the question.

It seems normally YouGov polls have a sample of about 2,000 and this latest survey is very much akin to the tracker polls carried out during the party conferences.

As many of you know I'm not a great believer in political polls, but is this a sign that the public are wakening up to the useless, hopeless and constant drip drip of lives being lost or soldiers being seriously maimed for no good reason?

I should like to think it is.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's the remaing 27% that surprises me

subrosa said...

Me too. They're possibly people who have no interest one way or another.

Oldrightie said...

The dozy EU Provincial Brits are waking up because it is mostly their sons and daughters being killed. Wooton Bassett has also been a beacon of quiet and dignified protest at the slaughter.
As for Jimmy Brown's dreadful speech this morning he just highlighted how we are paying in blood money to keep the Maxim gun earnings pouring in to the contractors and bankers' hands.

Catosays said...

As you know, I've argued before that we should not be there at all.

Having said that, since we are, then we must give our boys and girls the best of everything that money can buy....they deserve nothing less.

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