Nearly two thirds of people unsure what Lib Dems stand for

Its only one poll admittedly and things can change but a new ComRes Poll for the Independent may be causing a few jitters at Lib Dems HQ as it found that 65% of people were not clear what the Lib Dems stood for since they went in to Coalition just a few short weeks ago.

According to the Independent ‘A ComRes poll for The Independent found that public opinion is divided on the merits of the power-sharing deal between David Cameron and Nick Clegg, but that voters overwhelmingly back the replacement of the first-past-the-post electoral system.

The survey also suggests that the Tories are regarded by the public as the coalition's dominant partner.

By a margin of more than two to one – 65 per cent to 29 per cent – they agreed that it was "difficult to know what the Liberal Democrats stand for" following their entry into the coalition. The sentiment was shared by 56 per cent of the people who voted Liberal Democrat in last month's general election.

There are signs that Mr Clegg's party is suffering a backlash from its decision to go into office with the Tories. Only 78 per cent of people who voted Liberal Democrat last month said they would vote the same way if another election was held tomorrow; 17 per cent said they would support Labour instead.

The findings echo fears among some activists that their party's identity is in danger of being swamped by the Tories. They come as Mr Clegg insists in an interview in The Independent today that Liberal Democrat values are at the heart of the coalition agreement.

Three weeks after the deal was struck, public opinion is split over the merits of forming the coalition administration. Asked whether it was a better outcome for Britain than an outright Tory or Labour election victory, 45 per cent agreed and 43 per cent disagreed.

There was overwhelming support for the suggestion that first-past-the-post voting for Westminster should be replaced by a "system that reflects more accurately the proportion of votes cast for each party", with 78 per cent agreeing and just 18 per cent disagreeing.'
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