Matt T

Everyone's linking to this piece on the Conservatives misfortune, so I see no reason not to. It's pretty good although it does overdo it a bit -- if the Conservatives' electorate is not like the electorate as a whole then presumably that is true of the Labour electorate? Anyway what stuck me were the recommendations on how the Tories can win back support.

1.Always try to see ourselves through the voters’ eyes.
2.Talk about the issues that matter to voters, (not the issues that we’re most at home with).
3.Use the language of people, not the language of politicians.
4.Tell people what we stand for –not (just) what is wrong with Labour. Unless we give voters new reasons to support us they won't.
5.Remember Tim Bell’s rule: ‘if they haven’t heard it, you haven’t said it’ –so repetition is vital.
6.Respect modern Britain. If we seem not to like Britain today, the feeling will surely be reciprocated.
7.Don’t be shrill or strident –that’s not how normal civilised people
8.Remember that whatever we are talking about, the most important message is what we are saying about ourselves.
9.Face the fact that we lost people’s trust because of how we behave (and sound), as well as what we do.
10.Focus on the voters we have to win, don’t preach to the converted.
11.Be disciplined and consistent.

This is almost the polar opposite of what your bog-standard normal Tory activist would want to do, and I imagine will be soundly (shrilly>) rejected by most right-wing bloggers.

posted by Matthew @ 4/28/2003 04:32:00 PM Comments: 0