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Voters: time to negotiate with the Taliban

12:30 | PoliticsHome Polls

This morning the Taliban issued a statement saying ‘we do not want to talk to anyone’ in reaction to discussion in the UK media of the possibility of negotiations beginning with them in Afghanistan. 

In response, the Prime Minister's spokesman said today that "the key point to remember here is that it is a disparate organisation."

Sixty per cent of the public, including majorities of supporters of all political parties, believe it is time for NATO forces in Afghanistan to begin negotiations with Taliban fighters, according to new PoliticsHome research.  

The vast majority of respondents answered before the Taliban’s uncompromising statement this morning. 

In addition, the overwhelming view among voters is that the coalition does not have a clear strategy in the region. 

Liberal Democrat supporters are the most strongly in favour of beginning negotiations with some Taliban, but supporters of all major political parties and none also tended to back this course of action.

Unclear strategy

Polling also found that over three quarters of voters (sixty nine per cent) believe that the coalition’s strategy in Afghanistan is unclear. 

Over a quarter (twenty eight per cent) think that it is ‘very unclear’, with an additional forty one per cent holding the view that it is fairly unclear. 

PoliticsHome interviewed 1,013 adults between 29 June and 1 July 2010.  Results are weighted by age, gender and political party identification to reflect the population of Great Britain.