Wednesday 9th September 2009 | 14:11

Who is winning the ‘battle of the axes’?

Both David Cameron and Alistair Darling made speeches yesterday on the challenge of rebalancing the public finances, but it is thought that the Chancellor will be shown to have had a better day in the long term. Cameron’s announcements on MPs pay and benefits were widely seen as politically motivated and dubious policy.

No clear victor has yet emerged in the ‘battle of the axes’ over the need to make tough decisions on public spending, but Alistair Darling just about had the edge yesterday in the view of the PoliticsHome Phi100 panel. 

The politically balanced Phi100 panel measures opinion at the highest level of politics, incorporating senior representatives from parliament, the media, think tanks, universities and political parties. 

Thirty seven per cent of the Phi100 judge that Alistair Darling will be shown to have made more progress yesterday, with only a quarter thinking that Cameron came off best. 

Almost a third of the panel, however (thirty one per cent) said that neither had made any real progress in this contest. 

Left-leaning panellists were more enthusiastic about Darling’s performance than those on the right were about Cameron’s.  About two thirds of panellists on the left opted for Darling as the victor, but only about half of the right backed the Tory leader.

Shadow boxing

A non-aligned thought leader spoke for many on the panel, saying: 'Neither has much of an interest in declaring a clear position - and neither has a clear position as yet to declare anyway. Expect the shadow boxing to continue.'

Another panellist predicted: 'If we are ever going to get some clear answers to how much, how fast and where cuts should be made, it's clear it won't be until at least the PBR in November'. 

A left-leaning media panellist believed that the problem was: 'Trust in politicians is shot. Everyone knows cuts will be necessary; everyone thinks politicians are on the take, so both speeches were necessary but not decisive.'

Cameron MP pay crackdown: 'pure politics'

David Cameron’s headline-grabbing announcements on MPs’ pay and benefits (including cutting ministerial salaries by 5% and freezing the pay of all MPs) was seen as being made entirely for political reasons by a majority of panellists. 

Across the political spectrum, the Phi100 agreed with the interpretation that in this instance Cameron ‘was not interested in the policy merits and demerits’.

A right-leaning panellist said: 'The principle is a good one but as he admits it's small beer compared to what needs to be done.'

A left-leaning panelllist described the announcment as 'not so much playing to the gallery as playing to the pits.'

A Lib Dem panellist conceded that: 'His message was clear and simple - unlike Alistair Darling's.'

Over three quarters of panellists also doubted the wisdom of Cameron’s announcement.  Seventy six per cent agreed with the statement made in a Times editorial that:

‘David Cameron’s assault on the incomes of MPs may be popular, but that does not make it wise’. 

Right leaning panellists looked more favourably on the announcement than the other political groupings, but a fifty three per cent majority of them nonetheless agreed with the editorial.

Left leaning panellists endorsed the statement in an almost unanimous verdict (ninety six per cent agreed with it).