ConservativeHome's Dictionary

Love-bombing

The Tories decided that one good way of beating Britain's Liberal Democrats was to "love-bomb" them and their voters.

After years of trying to scare people from voting LibDem (because, for example, of their strong pro-Europeanism, their social permissiveness or "soft" approach to crime), the Tories decided that it was better to flatter them and appear to agree with them on key issues.

The love-bombing strategy revealed by The Sunday Telegraph's Melissa Kite, was partly a result of Tory fears that negative campaigning against the LibDems risked reinforcing voters' perceptions of the Conservatives as mean-spirited rather than affecting voters' perceptions of the 'nice' LibDems.

Love-bombing has included attempts by senior Conservatives to attract senior LibDems into the Tory tent.  George Osborne's attempts to love bomb David Laws did not end successfully, however.

Ed Vaizey, an initial proponent of the love bombing strategy, also admitted to finding it hard work whenever he gets close to real LibDemmery...

"A few weeks ago, I suggested that the next Conservative government might be able to work with the Lib Dems (or to be more specific, the "Orange Bookers") after the 2009 election. Not many Conservatives agreed with me, and many activists told me they would work with the Lib Dems only over their dead body (or mine, perhaps). It may have been that the rarefied air of the Westminster village had gone to my head and addled my brain. In any event, a few days' campaigning in Bromley and Chislehurst has sorted that out. I have been strongly reminded why both main parties - Conservative and Labour - find it so hard to do business with the Lib Dems. The Lib Dems are simply the most unprincipled campaigners in the business."

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WebRoots (or The NetRoots)

An internet-based grassroots movement.

Wedge issues

A wedge issue can be used to slice off a chunk of voters from the political party they traditionally support.

Values voters

Values voters are motivated by issues like fox-hunting and the arms trade - rather than conventional economic concerns.

Fox News phenomenon

Rupert Murdoch's Fox News channel - and the high profile it gives to conservative worldviews - has shaken America's old media monopoly.

Soft sofa media

Public figures reach a less partisan audience when they appear on daytime tv and face more unpredictable lines of questioning.

Triangulation

Public figures ‘triangulate’ to position themselves as the 'moderate middle' in a debate between two sets of antagonists.

Super-sized voters

Some UK MPs serve 51,000 voters and some over 100,000.

Red corner questioning

The tendency of the media establishment to ask questions that pivot the national conversation towards the liberal left.

Negative campaigning

Negative adverts may be disliked by the public but positive campaigns are less likely to impact voting behaviour.