How to oppose the Lib Dems

Councillor Paul Scully, leader of the Conservative Group on Sutton Council, outlines his approach.

In the London Borough of Sutton we are in an unusual position. The Council is the longest continually-held Lib Dem authority in the country, first taken in 1986. They won by marbling themselves throughout the borough, joining residents associations and other community groups, delivering leaflets that were not overtly party political and being seen as working hard for their neighbours rather than for a party. Any attack on them was portrayed as being personal. They still have the ability to wring their hands whilst sitting on them. However, after twenty two years of running the council and eleven of having both local MPs, they have become the establishment without realising the fact. The initial goodwill which swept them to victory has faded away as they remain reliant on past achievements. In Sutton, people know what they are getting when they vote Lib Dem and they want change. Here are a few tips that have helped us become an effective force for that change in Sutton:-

   1. Work hard

      Obvious really but there is no silver bullet. We reduced Group meetings to the bare minimum, instead using the time to deliver 1000 extra newsletters every Monday. This may be relevant to a topical issue or helping in a marginal ward.

   2. Give the media what they want

      Local journalists are hard pushed and under-paid. Write the complete story for them so that it can be easily inserted into a free slot. Speak to the senior reporters and the editor regularly, at least once or twice a week. You do not always need to be the centre of the story. A comment alongside an article is often sufficient. The letters pages are crucial.

   3. Pick your fights

      You do not need to oppose for opposition’s sake. Many Lib Dem Councils in the South are not that far removed from Conservative ones, so the two groups may agree on a high percentage of issues. By picking your fights carefully, your opposition when it comes will be listened to more closely and respected. Vary your approach to cut through the white noise of debate.

   4. Innovate

      In the same way that the Liberal Democrats innovated in a low-tech way with their regular Focus newsletters and bar charts, you can look to steal a march on engaging a whole new generation of voters by using new media and video, starting non-political community campaigns and so appearing to residents that you are coming with fresh ideas as to how to help improve your area. I scrapped my advice surgery where I had sat in a room each month for two years and received two visitors. Now, I pick a few roads in my ward, send out 200 letters to those households asking them to put up a poster if they want to see me on the following Saturday morning. I get far more enquiries, many of which are just gripes. It keeps me informed and 200 people know that I have been around.

   5. Work Harder

      Back to where we started. Winning a battle in the council chamber is a sideshow. The biggest contingent of witnesses to this event are other councillors and I should hope that they have already decided how they will vote. Instead of grandstanding use the time to gather information and get out in front of the people who matter.

Blogging along

Cllr Paul Scully is leader of the Conservative Group in Sutton. His blog has been judged among the best councillor blogs in the country. Here he says councillors blogging is time well spent.

The fact that you are reading this on Conservative Home suggests that you already know that Conservatives are at the forefront of political blogging. This doesn’t have to be limited to Westminster news and gossip. I started Scully’s Blogspot, three weeks after being elected in 2006 with an article entitled “Does cyberspace need another blog?” I believed that it did then and after 280 articles and 1200 comments from residents, I believe that there is plenty of room for more now.

Blogging is a fantastic way of getting a message over in a hurry. Maybe you have just returned from a committee where you have been instrumental in rejecting a proposed eyesore in your village idyll? Whilst everything is fresh in your mind, you can get it down in writing, whereas a printed newsletter has a lead time for design and printing causing some smaller stories to date too quickly if left to traditional means. Space on newsletters is precious. Use the blog for as much as you want - as long as it is likely to be interesting for the reader. This way people can dip in and out of your blog, seeing how much time you are spending fighting for their concerns. I also use mine as a repository for my stories and photos, picking out the best for newsletters every few weeks.

Leaflets tend to be glanced at on the way to the bin. I am one of an ever-increasing number of people that get the majority of my news locally and nationally via the Internet. Not that paper has had its day after 2000 years; far from it. Everything that I print has an advert for my blog. This isn’t Field of Dreams stuff, “build it and they will come”. Keeping the film theme, “In cyberspace no-one can hear you scream.” It’s a lonely place unless people know that you are there and care about what you write, so put the address on your letterheads, leaflets, business cards, anywhere.