Back to the Madrassah

So much for the terrorists: according to a Telegraph YouGov poll, people are now more satisfied with Tony Blair as PM than they were back in January:

The response of Tony Blair and his ministers to the attacks has clearly boosted the standing of both. Early this year, twice as many people said they were dissatisfied with Mr Blair as Prime Minister as said the opposite. In the aftermath of Thursday’s bombings, Mr Blair’s approval rating has flipped from negative to positive for the first time in five years.

Moreover, the bombings have failed – despite Mr George Galloway’s best efforts – to undermine support for the British presence in Iraq. The proportion wanting British troops brought home quickly has fallen and the proportion who now want Britain to retain its close ties with the US has risen. The section of the chart headed “Assessing performance” tells a story of which Britons can be proud.

A massive 95 per cent of YouGov’s respondents believe that on Thursday London’s emergency services responded either magnificently (71 per cent) or very well (24 per cent). More than two thirds, 71 per cent, give comparably high marks to the Prime Minister and his Government.

Only Britain’s intelligence services – for obvious reasons – fare less well. A third of YouGov’s respondents, 33 per cent, accord their performance an equally high rating.

As figures in the chart show, virtually the whole nation, 90 per cent, applauds Londoners’ courage and calm under fire and Tony Blair’s satisfaction rating has shot up from a mediocre 32 per cent at the beginning of this year to a creditable 49 per cent now.