Ed Staite: As the summer draws nearer its end, it's time for MPs to sharpen their stump speeches

Edward Staite is an international communications consultant and campaign adviser. Follow Ed on Twitter.

The reading list provided for other Conservative MPs by their colleague Keith Simpson has become an annual event, heralding the start of summer recess.

This helpful summary of the best books on current affairs and their historical origins should hopefully be an integral part of an MP's time away from Westminster. I say "time away" - rather than "holiday" - deliberately, since (most) MPs use this extended time in their constituencies to rush between fetes and carnivals, fill their diaries with visits to businesses and hold regular surgeries. Summer is the time when MPs connect with their electorate to a degree not usually achievable when half the week is taken up by parliamentary business.

As a return to Westminster gets nearer, now is the time for MPs to begin their 'back to school' project and make sure they don't waste all these summer efforts. It is time to reinvigorate, refresh and, in some cases, completely rewrite their stump speech. With less than two years until the general election, and the European poll as well as local elections just nine months away, Tory MPs should be confidently putting the positive case for why people should vote Conservative.

Every MP should have a speech, formed of a standard set of paragraphs, to deploy at short notice whatever the occasion. If prepared well, these words can be the basis of an informal 'few words' at a WI coffee morning, or as a rousing call to action as a guest at a constituency dinner.

As ever with public speaking, it is the preparation that is so important. All too often MPs fall into the trap of saying what is expected rather than what is interesting or important. When an MP speaks, we expect them to be good - after all it is their job, isn’t it?

Ed Staite: George Osborne must rip-up convention to deliver a Budget speech of spectacular simplicity

Edward Staite is an international communications consultant and campaign adviser. Follow Ed on Twitter.

What are you doing now? I know you are reading this article but you’re probably doing something else too. That’s the way we live and work; multi-tasking - so our minds are rarely focussed on one thing.

When George Osborne delivers his Budget next week few will be totally focussed on what he is saying. Other MPs will be tweeting and e-mailing, as will journalists in the House of Commons gallery, while those watching at home will soon become reliant on the TV graphics rather than the Chancellor’s words.

After, political journalists will form a “huddle” with one of the Chancellor’s economic advisers to find out what the Chancellor has just said. Within minutes, commentators will focus on one or more of the Chancellor’s announcements as the political jousting begin. Whatever theme has been given to the Budget in advance will become lost, forgotten.     

The Budget is invariably an opportunity missed. Politicians crave getting ‘air time’ and securing ‘cut through’. The Budget should be an open-goal with as much ‘air time’ as the Chancellor wishes. The problem comes through a poorly constructed speech, lacking a theme, continuity or showing a common touch which guarantees no ‘cut through’.

Ed Staite: Will the reshuffle help the Government to communicate?

Edward Staite is an international communications consultant and campaign adviser.

Ultimately a government can only be judged by how it performs; if it delivers tangible results then voters are likely to give it another chance at the ballot box. Between elections, however, the way a government performs is more often than not measured through how effectively it communicates. When times are tough this makes effective communication even more pressing. So how are the changes to the Cabinet going to change the way the Government communicates?:

Andrew Mitchell (Chief Whip)

A key role in future months. Has proven himself to be a wily political operator making the journey from re-tred MP in 2001 to the new Chief Whip via acting as campaign manager to David Davis’ leadership bid and a 'right-winger' in the shadow cabinet. Will need all these skills now. As International Development Secretary, he did very well to communicate his department’s work by providing compelling pictures for 10 o’clock news of various visits he made to global trouble-spots. Will need communication skills of a different kind to keep morale and discipline in the parliamentary party which, if successfully achieved, could significantly reduce the level of negative stories regarding the Conservative Party.

Grant Shapps (Conservative Party Chairman)

Has been an effervescent performer as Housing Minister with many Conservatives hopeful he can make the party chairman position a much more visible job than under his predecessor. Has been criticised for being prone to a re-announcement but in his new job a repetition of the message is essential. Successfully built up a reputation as a campaigner despite a mixed track record – this shouldn’t be held against him as party chairman is often about winning the perception game. Also successfully embraced digital media, so look out for his influence in this area at CCHQ too. Often performs better on radio than TV so hopefully can become a regular on the Today Programme to help set agenda as well as put out fires.     

Edward Staite: Harnessing the power of the Conservative crowd to secure a new politics

Edward Staite is a media adviser and international communications consultant for Fleishman-Hillard.

The White House communications team recently admitted that they have lost control of what they call the 'news cyclone'.

This from a team widely seen to have produced the most modern, internet savvy, new media focused and democratic campaign in the history of politics. Yet, by their own admission, they are not quick, or fleet of foot enough to ensure they are managing the news and are now re-writing the rules of Presidential PR. 

The reason for this is that we all consume our daily intake of news and comment in a way unimaginable even two elections ago. A recent survey said social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter are the primary source of news for over a quarter of people. The shattering of the media world into a million and more pieces has democratised news content and taken power away from the centrist, corporate approach of large news corporations from the past.

The ‘news cycle’ is dead. We now have a constant news stream that ebbs and flows with subjects growing in volume or decreasing in importance in a way that makes traditional news management as irrelevant as the Polish Cavalry in 1939. The cyclone, as the White House has discovered, will soon swamp you.

This cyclone has hit the shores of the UK as well and is gathering strength as we move closer to the election. ConservativeHome readers should welcome this as a precursor to a new way of doing, and communicating, politics. At the same time we should aim to be the catalyst to making this a reality.