Weekly Survey: By-elections, TV debates and the NHS strike

This week as a special promotion 5 people who complete the survey will get 2 free tickets to a London wine tasting festival. We’ll randomly pick the lucky winners – make sure you give us your full e-mail address so we can get in touch with you if you win!

Last week, we asked readers how they thought Labour would perform in the two by-elections – and they predicted both correctly (87% said Labour would win Heywood and Middleton, 65% said Labour would come third in Clacton). You can see the full results, as well as how the night unfolded from beginning to end, on our by-election liveblog.

But were Labour’s performances good enough? Do they show us heading in the right direction? Tell us what you think.

Yesterday, broadcasters sent proposals to four party leaders with their plans to host televised debates before the elections next year. Ed Miliband was positive about the suggestions, although Mark Ferguson highlights the flaws in the planning.

The plans have proved controversial for the inclusion of Nigel Farage and the exclusion of the Green Party’s Natalie Bennett, with the Greens considering legal action.

Which party leaders do you think should be included in at least one of the debates? If Farage is included should Natalie Bennett, Leanne Wood and whoever the leader of the SNP will be once Alex Salmond steps down in November be part of the debates too? Let us know your opinion.

A telling strike took place yesterday. For the first time in 30 years, NHS workers – from widwives to ambulance drivers – went on strike over pay.

The strike yesterday morning lasted for four hours (7.00am-11.00am) and until Friday these workers will be operating under be work-to-rule. Maya Goodfellow wrote that Ed Miliband should have come out in support of these strikes, particularly as 61% of people supported the strike. What do you think about the strike? Do you support it? Or do you think it was a bad idea?

LabourList’s weekly survey will be open until 15.00 on Thursday. You can vote here.