Backing from an influential and trusted profession, charity or celebrity can greatly increase public support for a political pitch.
Today’s politicians are not widely trusted and neither are newspapers.
The trust problem has grown during the Blair years.
Tony Blair’s broken promises on tax, WMD and tuition fees have fed public cynicism towards politics.
Fake prisoner abuse photos in The Mirror, excessive partisanship and a tendency to over-interpret fleeting events have all reduced public respect for the media and its Red Robbo tendencies.
The value of third party endorsements has grown significantly in this sceptical climate.
From David Bellamy to Bruce Springsteen…
The Tories were delighted when botanist David Bellamy endorsed their campaign against the construction of windfarms in environmentally sensitive areas. A policy that could be accused of NIMBYism (‘Not In My BackYard’) suddenly became more environmentally acceptable because of Mr Bellamy’s imprimatur.
Every voter group can be reached in similar ways. Motorists will listen most keenly to the views of the AA, RAC or some other group that is seen to be acting independently of politics. Churchgoers are most likely to get-out-and-vote at the prompting of bishops or influential campaigning groups like Christian Aid (on international development) or the Christian Institute (on family life).
Politicians will also seek celebrity endorsements although these can be of mixed value. UKIP’s enlistment of Robert Kilroy-Silk powered its successes in 2004’s European Elections but has since come to be regretted by the party’s leadership. Endorsements from Bruce Springsteen and Christopher Reeves’ widow attracted a great deal of media attention but made little difference to John Kerry’s ill-fated presidential bid. A gallery of stars added sparkle to Tony Blair’s 1997 campaign but the subsequent peeling away of those celebrities neatly punctuated New Labour’s declining popularity.
Cultivating third parties
A professional modern political party will not wait for third party endorsements to appear spontaneously. The huge modern investment by political parties in media relations will need to be paralleled with a serious investment in relationships with third party groups.
The Conservative Party should build an infrastructure by appointing volunteers or professionals to cultivate two-way relations with every leading group within society – the charitable sector, faith communities, field sports enthusiasts, think tanks, environmental campaigners, disability rights advocates and so on. Systems need to be put in place so that the intelligence that passes between third parties and the political party is not lost because of staff reshuffles. That “intelligence” will include insights into emerging issues and ideas from third parties on how policies can be improved.
The Bush White House already has a highly developed network of third party relations. Senior administration officials regularly hold conference calls with opinion-leaders about major initiatives – often before the press is told. The views of these opinion-leaders then reach the public through conventional media, newsletters, emails and blogs.
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