Will Populus record a Brown leadership bounce? For polling geeks like me the next few surveys are going to be fascinating and might be good pointers to the future. For the transition from Tony to Gordon is well under way and he’s now being portrayed daily in the media mostly in a positive light as the PM in waiting. If there is going to be a Brown succession bounce then we might see the first signs of it. This could…
Is raising “hug-a-hoodie” again good or bad politics? Given the way that David Cameron’s “hug a hoodie” speech four months ago seemed to attract so much derision why is the Tory leader going back onto the same territory with his latest “tough love” for yobs speech? He’s called for “a lot more love” to be shown to young offenders as part of an effort to encourage good behaviour and has suggested that there is a more understanding approach as to…
Is this why the Times and the Sun are carrying similar editorials? Probably the biggest risk that Cameron’s Tories took by voting against the Government in the Iraq debate was not the predictable charges of opportunism from the Labour benches but that he might have upset Rupert Murdoch whose News International corporation owns large parts of the media including the Times and the Sun. For although the Telegraph under its news editor might be coming more on side the new…
Is it necessary for him to be seen to have a victory? As an ace public relations man nobody is better placed than the Tory leader to understand the problems of holding a party conference when there is little real news about. For unlike last year when there was the excitement of the leadership race this year there’s not a lot happening. That’s fine except there are hundreds of journalists with them by the seaside all looking for some angle…
Meanwhile the young leader plans to attack Brown for being “weak” There’ll be a bit of a relief as the Tories gather in Bournemouth this morning that the second poll to come out since the Labour conference still has the party in the lead. The survey by ICM in the Sunday Mirror, has with changes on the last poll by the firm CON 36 (nc): LAB 35 (+3): LD 19 (-3). Fieldwork began on Thursday, a day later than yesterday’s…
How much will the result mean? Late September will see the result of the ballot of Conservative members on the party’s “Built To Last” mission statement. The process of a new, reforming leader having the party ratify his vision bears some resemblance to Tony Blair’s reform of the Labour constitution in 1995, exemplified by removing the Clause 4 commitment to state socialism. So is this Cameron’s Clause 4 moment? Not exactly. It’s not so much that “Built To Last” is…
Part 1 – the polished presenter with female appeal? Before my main holiday I thought I’d pen out a couple of posts on THE political phenomenon of the past twelve months in British politics – David Cameron. Is the billing right that he’s the great saviour of his party or will the Cameron thing just fizzle out in a year or so and Labour will win their fourth term? My first part is on his strengths. First a couple of…
Is he right to push a change on which he could be beaten? Ever since he was elected as leader critics have argued that David Cameron needs to do more than have smart presentation to prove to the electorate that the Tory party has changed. For this, like Tony Blair with Clause Four in the mid-1990s, Cameron has needed an issue on which he can campaign. Today he is to announce moves that could prove to be highly controversial and…