Comments on: Abortion Polling

By: john t t

john t t — Fri, 23 May 2008 14:21:15 +0000

Likewise!

By: Colin

Colin — Fri, 23 May 2008 14:06:32 +0000

John-had better leave the debate now I think.
Appreciate your thoughts & comments.

By: Jack

Jack — Fri, 23 May 2008 10:57:24 +0000

Who actually believes abortions are used as late contraception? I dont. If they are then people need to be introduced to the pill and the morning after pill. That amount of pain and problems, no way…

By: john t t

john t t — Fri, 23 May 2008 08:33:51 +0000

Chris C -
The EDP (not flash, just fluffy) party was always going to be squeezed in C & N – just wait for Henley when they’ll be back up there at 1%!

By: john t t

john t t — Fri, 23 May 2008 07:27:46 +0000

Colin – you have to start from the premise that women’s preferred method of not having a baby is not late abortion. Repeated late abortions are not abuses of the state in the same way that benefit dependancy can be.

So the sense of responsibility is achieved through education and free access to contraception and pregnancy tests (plus encouraging the sort of family support / values that allow scared young women to come forward early and do a pregnancy test.

The state should provide this in my view, and use the voluntary sector as a resource, but not as a replacement for a public-funded system with political accountability. It does less harm than a privatised system would.

Family disintegration is a huge issue – I think I’m on the same page as you there.

Apologies for wandering from the polling questions.

By: Chris C

Chris C — Fri, 23 May 2008 07:21:47 +0000

And where’s Fluffy Thoughts when you need him/her? 0.66% of the vote – you must be very proud…

On the original thread, surely the Mike Richardson calling for an increase in population across the western world cannot be the same one who complains about immigration on the basis that the country is overcrowded already? Shome mishtake surely?

By: stuart gregory

stuart gregory — Fri, 23 May 2008 02:40:44 +0000

CON WIN: GAIN FROM LABOUR

CON 20539 49.49%
LAB 12679 30.55%
LD 6040 14.55%
OTH 2240 5.41%

CON MAJ: 7860 (18.94%)

A VERY GOOD NIGHT FOR THE CONSERVATIVES A VERY BAD NIGHT FOR LABOUR IN C&N

FIRST CON GAIN FOR 25 YEARS, LAST GAIN 1983

By: stuart gregory

stuart gregory — Thu, 22 May 2008 23:58:26 +0000

CON-BBC CON TAKE 50% OF THE VOTE

By: stuart gregory

stuart gregory — Thu, 22 May 2008 23:39:05 +0000

just to go off the wall a little but in C&N the conservatives are leading and on course to win by a four figure majority.

By: Robert Waller

Robert Waller — Thu, 22 May 2008 22:35:23 +0000

We do have to be very careful about interpreting polling questions.
When I was a pollster in the late 80s / early 90s I remember two questions about the age of homosexual consent:
Do you think it should be the same as heterosexual consent? Yes 70%
Do you think it should be reduced from 21/18 to 16?
No 70%.
To say no to the first would sound like being unfair and unequal, to say yes to the second would sound like a change to ‘expose’ younger people.

Incidentally, the ‘12 week in other European countries’ point is itself incomplete and partial information. I understand that in those countries there may be many loopholes which allow later termination, and the difference with our current law is not as great as it sounds.