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(9/10) Prepare, prepare and prepare for the butterfly moment when the Tories emerge from the Coalition

By Tim Montgomerie
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Last week in Birmingham I presented a ten step plan to deliver the first Conservative majority since 1992. The plan is summarised on the new StrongAndCompassionate.com website.  Parts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven and eight have already been published.

(Part 9) Maximise the “butterfly moment” when Conservatives decouple from the Liberal Democrats and relaunch for the 2015 general election

There are many drawbacks of Coalition government but there is one enormous advantage.

At the next election – for the first time since World War II – the government will not be up for re-election. Neither of the two parties in the current government can run away from what the Coalition has achieved or failed to achieve but both parties can credibly say that people haven’t had a Conservative or Liberal Democrat government. As one of the two bigger parties in British politics this opportunity is obviously more important for the Conservatives than the Lib Dems. David Cameron will be able to appear before the British electorate and urge them to give him the chance to govern alone for the first time.

David Cameron’s team should prepare carefully for this coalition caterpillar to Tory butterfly moment. It is an opportunity for a fundamental relaunch. An opportunity to describe how a Conservative-only government will be superior to continuing coalition government and to the Labour alternative. The relaunch needs to convey strength. Strength to deliver the bold economic reforms Britain needs and strength to protect Britain’s social contract. Stronger than coalition government with all of its inherent tensions and stronger than a Labour government led by Ed Miliband. Getting this butterfly moment right – making it a big event – is huge for the Conservative chances at the next election.

The images below - imagined media reports - summarise what this butterfly moment might look like.

DAY BEFORE BUTTERFLY RELAUNCH

The-times

DAY ONE

Sky2

DAY TWO

Bbc-ipad copy

DAY THREE

Daily-mail

> These images also appear on the Modernisation page of StrongAndCompassionate.com.

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