from politicoz …..

Two opinion polls out today make for sobering reading, and not just for the government.

Gillard will get no reprieve from leadership speculation while the Newspoll shows the ALP primary vote at 28% and her net satisfaction at -33%. 

On the other hand, Tony Abbott's approval is sinking like a stone (net satisfaction down to -31%). Clearly the public would prefer not to be presented with these options. The poll suggests there's little prospect of broad support for the government - or an alternative government - while these leaders remain.

In a separate poll, on responses to climate change, only 28% of the population support the carbon tax, even though over two-thirds of the population believe the government should take a leading role tackling climate change. But only 14% thought Tony Abbott's alternative policy would be effective in reducing emissions.

There is a distinct air of unreality about both sets of results.

Labor's attempt to decouple itself from the Greens and its continuing shower of cash handouts to middle Australia have failed to lift its popularity, with the latest Newspoll putting the Gillard government's primary vote at 28 per cent - two percentage points off its record low. Instead of the lift Labor had been hoping for, its support fell below 30 per cent for the first time in three months.

meanwhile, busy abandoning yet another principle ….

Julia Gillard has cleared the way for a compromise with media executives over government intervention in the press, as some of her senior allies argue against proposals to impose curbs on news coverage.

The Prime Minister has written to seven chief executives of media companies to cut short a lengthy brawl about reforms to police the media, inviting commitments for tougher self-regulation to avoid the need for a new statutory authority.