Pledges to guarantee free personal care for the elderly and amend the laws on MPs expenses are regarded as the most important bills included in the most recent speech.
Many Britons would like the long-standing tradition of the Queen’s speech to continue, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample of 2,004 British adults, 44 per cent believe the Queen’s speech—written by the Government and geared at setting out their planned bills for Parliament—should continue as it is.
About one-in-four respondents (23%) consider the Queen’s speech as irrelevant, and would prefer for the Government to set out its plans in writing.
An additional eight per cent of respondents would prefer to have an address from the Prime Minister, and 15 per cent would abandon the whole idea of the Queen’s speech.
Respondents in Scotland (24%) are more likely than all others to call for the abandonment of the Queen’s speech.
The Labour Government headed by Gordon Brown presented seven bills in the last Queen’s speech, read by Queen Elizabeth II on Nov. 18.
A pledge to guarantee free personal care for the elderly (95%) and amending the laws on MPs expenses (94%) are regarded as the most important bills, followed by allowing Government to have more influence over banker’s bonuses (85%), introducing classes for parents of children with anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) (75%), banning cluster munitions (73%), and reforming the House of Lords to make it more democratic (71%).
Respondents are not as keen to pass a bill that would introduce powers to cut off the Internet supply for those who illegally download films. Only 37 per cent of respondents consider this bill as important.
Analysis
A large proportion of the population voices support for the continuation of the Queen’s speech. An address by the Prime Minister is clearly the least favoured option.
Despite the relatively short timeframe to implement its agenda before the next General Election, the Labour Government finds a high level of support for several of its policies. There is only one area—illegal downloads—where Britons are clearly in no rush to see action.
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CONTACT:
Andy Morris, Research Director, London
+ 44-203-178-3952
andy.morris@angus-reid.com
