In an interview with today's Telegraph Eric Pickles warns against an obsession with internet campaigning. The new Party Chairman says that traditional campaigning will remain crucial to the outcome of the General Election. He focuses on the Pennines as central to victory:
"When asked where the next election will be fought, Mr Pickles points to the large map on the wall of his office. "Start just over there on the M62 [pointing at the Leeds area], drive through all the West Riding seats, get to Manchester, drop down to the West Midlands. That's where the battleground is." The absolute key area he says are "the east and west Pennines…that's where we need to make most progress.""
ConservativeHome has learnt that the Party isn't just targeting geographical seat clusters, however, as has been the traditional campaigning model.
A study of campaign literature points to a targeting of certain categories of seats with different kinds of literature. Seaside towns and English New Towns are getting one sort of literature and seats leaning to or from the Liberal Democrats are getting a different kind of literature, almost regardless of their geographical location. I also understand polling is taking place across these clusters rather than just in individual battleground constituencies.
William Hague is the star interviewee in the 'People talk!' magazine for Lorraine Fullbrook in Lancashire's South Ribble. David Cameron is the star interviewee in the 'People talk!' magazine for Helen Whately in Kingston and Surbiton. Very raw issues - economy and crime - dominate the newspapers for the New Towns and seaside resorts but more local and environment issues feature prominently in literature for Lib-Con marginals.
CCHQ is understandably reluctant to discuss in detail their marginal seats unit's work but, on the face of it, the microtargeting looks sophisticated and must be part of the reason why Michael Ashcroft is Labour's number one hate figure.
Tim Montgomerie
