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With Zac continuing to trail some Tory voices are questioning the Crosby-inspired campaign

With Zac continuing to trail some Tory voices are questioning the Crosby-inspired campaign

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Donald Brind looks at the Goldsmith campaign tactics Pick your metaphor. Canine or feline. The folklore surrounding Tory election guru Lynton Crosby has both “dead cats” and “dog whistles”. They refer to a strategy based on playing the man not the ball; issuing innuendos and smears rather than fighting on the issues.He was David Cameron’s saviour in the general election but the Crosby approach failed to deliver for the Canadian Tories back in October. Crosby’s fingerprints are all over the…

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Local By-Election Preview : April 7th 2016

Local By-Election Preview : April 7th 2016

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Ynysddu (Lab defence) on Caerphilly Result of council at last election (2012): Labour 50, Plaid Cymru 20, Independents 3 (Labour majority of 27) Result of ward at last election : Emboldened denotes elected Labour 719, 559 (64%) Plaid Cymru 382, 224 (30%) Conservatives 70, 57 (6%) Candidates duly nomninated: John Kidner (Lib Dem), Phillipa Marsden (Lab), Marina Pritchard (Plaid), Joe Smyth (UKIP) Pocklington, Provincial (Con defence) on the East Riding of Yorkshire Result of council at last election (2015): Conservatives…

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Nicky Morgan’s academy plan could boost her leadership hopes – or kill them stone dead

Nicky Morgan’s academy plan could boost her leadership hopes – or kill them stone dead

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Donald Brind on the Ed Sec’s big gamble Nicky Morgan reckons she has what it takes to be Tory leader. She put her name on the board last October and followed it up with a declaration in February that it would be “a big mistake if Tory members were offered a choice between “two white men”, when David Cameron steps down. Her dream is in desperate need of a boost. In last month’s Conservative Home survey of leadership contenders she…

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Why from an ad man’s perspective REMAIN’s absolutely right to go negative

Why from an ad man’s perspective REMAIN’s absolutely right to go negative

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PB’s Roger on the messages with the most potency The multinational Procter and Gamble has long been considered the most effective advertiser in the world. They had one simple formula which they used throughout their product range. They began their ads by showing a problem which was followed by a demonstration of how and why their product was the most effective way of dealing with it. ‘Bad breath…….so no one wants to talk to you?’ ‘Don’t worry help is on it’s…

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Tonight’s local by-elections saw

Tonight’s local by-elections saw

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Moriah (Lab defence) on Caerphilly Result of council at last election (2012) : Labour 50, Plaid Cymru 20, Independents 3 (Labour majority of 27) Result of ward at last election (2012) : Emboldened denotes elected Labour 698, 543 (54%) Plaid Cymru 420 (30%) Independent 363 (16%) Candidates duly nominated:Peter Bailie (Ind), Mervyn Diggle (Ind), Nigel Godfrey (Con), Ian Gorman (UKIP), David Harse (Lab) Embasy with Eastby (Con defence) on Craven Result of council at last election (2015): Conservatives 20, Independents…

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Local By-Election Preview : March 24th 2016 (Maundy Thursday)

Local By-Election Preview : March 24th 2016 (Maundy Thursday)

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Dalton (Con defence) and Moss Bay (Lab defence) on Allerdale Result of council at last election (2015): Labour 29, Conservatives 17, Independents 7, United Kingdom Independence Party 3 (Labour majority of 2) Result of wards at last election (2015) Dalton Conservative 510 (48%), Liberal Democrat 226 (21%), Green Party 168 (16%), United Kingdom Independence Party 153 (15%) Candidates duly nominated: Eric Atkinson (United Kingdom Independence Party), Flic Crowley (Green Party), Marion Fitzgerald (Ind), Ross Hayman (Lab), Mike Johnson (Con) Moss…

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Assessing the mood amongst Labour pragmatists

Assessing the mood amongst Labour pragmatists

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Ex-MP Nick Palmer on a non-Corbynite Labour focus group For friendship and nostalgia, I had a dinner last week with 14 veteran campaigners who have mostly been with me in every campaign since 1997. Coincidentally or not, I think I was the only one at the table who had voted for Jeremy Corbyn. The others are pragmatic Labour campaigners who fight every election to win, and turned a safe Tory seat in 1992 (16% margin) into a perpetual marginal. They’d voted…

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Two CON losses out of three in latest council by-elections

Two CON losses out of three in latest council by-elections

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Aylsham (Con defence) on Broadland Result: Liberal Democrat 829 (48% +17%), Conservative 654 (38% +6%), Labour 243 (14% -8%) Liberal Democrat GAIN from Conservative with a majority of 175 (10%) on a swing of 5.5% from Conservative to Liberal Democrat Ashby de la Launde and Cranwell (Con defence) on North Kesteven Result: Lincolnshire Independent 457 (56%, no candidate in 2015), Conservative 296 (36% -31%), Liberal Democrat 69 (8%, no candidate in 2015) Lincolnshire Independent GAIN from Conservative with a majority…

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