Lessons from the Damian Green affair for Tory strategy

A senior member of the shadow cabinet has told ConservativeHome that the Damian Green affair had important lessons for the next steps of Tory strategy.

He said that the Speaker, Metropolitan Police and Home Secretary all had had big questions to answer over how Damian Green had been subject to such a heavy-handed operation but that the Conservatives had "played the whole affair wrong":

"The public doesn't care much about the rights of MPs. They should care more but we can't change that overnight. They do care that the Government has lost control of our borders and about illegal immigrants. We should have made made the immigration issue the story.  We should have gone on to the TV screens with a 'We tried to tell you about the Government's immigration disaster and they tried to arrest us...' message."

Polling analysed by Anthony Wells found that 45% of Britons saw the Damian Green arrest and its fallout as a “typical Westminster argument that bears no relation to the lives of ordinary people.”  "In this context," continued Anthony, "the Conservative drop in support doesn’t seem particularly surprising - they’ve switched from attacking the government over huge levels of debt and mishandling the economy, to battering away over an issue which apparently has barely any salience with the general public."

My shadow cabinet source said that the Tory leadership's continued reluctance to talk about immigration combined with the powerful movement within the Conservative Party that worries about infringements of liberty dictated the tactical path that was chosen:

"What happened to Damian Green was unacceptable and authoritarian but it would have been much better politics to have seen this as an issue of immigration and then moved more quickly back to the dominant economic narrative."

There are lessons in the weeks and months ahead for the Conservative Party.  The Party has too many messages at the moment.  It needs to have the discipline to pick a few key themes and focus upon them relentlessly.  My shadow cabinet source said those three messages should be:

1. The scale of public debt - personalised for every person in Britain;
2. The scale of Labour incompetence - these people can't run anything;
3. The scale of Labour deceit - big tax rises are coming;

Tim Montgomerie

Comments

[London Tory]

Quite right. Too many messages. Too frenetic, too garbled.

This week alone we have talked about pensioners savings, defence procurement, Damien Green, the economy, corporate regulation, Zimbabwe, the expansion of Gatwick, and a public enquiry on Iraq.

No wonder the electorate has stopped listening.

We need to learn one thing from Mandelson/Campbell- simple political messaging is genius.

i.e. them repeating that we are the 'do nothing party'. Every one of their spokesman says this- Jowell, Cooper and McNulty being just 3 of them this week.

Why are we INCAPABLE of doing something similar ??

[Matt Wright]

Spot on. Well done.

[Norm Brainer]

It wasn't wrong to go hard on the DG affair ... so what if the polls show a drop - who cares what they say?
It's mid-term where the government can do what they like and the opposition is able to do what is right in holding them to account.

The scale of Labour deceit - big tax rises are coming;

Future deceipt is worth noting, but also on what they have done in the past, and not just on taxes (stealth or otherwise) but on the bad stats and policy feature creep - and how they want to "protect" us all and our children by monitoring all our communications, having all our DNA and then holding us for 90days without charge because we managed to see something on the net they didn't like and hadn't blocked yet.

[Sally Roberts]

I think this person is right! The message has got to be KISS (Keep It Simple..)! The message is coming through loud and clear that the Economy, and what Harold Wilson years ago called "The Pound In Your Pocket" is what resonates with voters.

[Matt Wright]

We know that the Green issue was very important but its how you handle it that is being highlighted.

Thinking about it this is pretty basic stuff - when someone tries to attack you, you bounce the issue back onto their most sensitive areas thus rendering the attack painful to the attacker (the added benefit is they are discouraged from trying it again so quickly).

In fact what you do is you always know what are the key issues you want to focus on and you use any opportunities to repeat those messages.

What Labour seem to do when they are on form is work out from first principles how things are perceived and a few simple messages they want to portray about these perceptions. They then stick at them relentlessly so they set the political weather and the terms of any debate.

Conservatives need to look at what the weaknesses of Labour are and how Labour are perceived. Then they need to look at what Conservative strengths are and what are the main issues the public are interested in. Then they need to focus the strengths onto the weaknesses in Labour using the public issues that resonate and keep repeating them over and over again at every level and every opportunity.

[NigelC]

We should not lose the civil liberties message though.

[Michael McGowan]

Aren't the Cameroons paying the inevitable price of positioning themselves one millimetre to the right of Labour to "show that they have changed"? What meaningful difference would they make if they were elected? A Tory Party committed to the levels of spending they espouse would also have to let rip on public debt and put taxes up very substantially. Sure, Labour may well be somewhat worse but that's not much of a selling point.

[David Belchamber]

"1. The scale of public debt - personalised for every person in Britain;
2. The scale of Labour incompetence - these people can't run anything;
3. The scale of Labour deceit - big tax rises are coming".

Agreed, Tim, but as I have been banging away for ages, what is the true scale of public debt? Brown says it is only just going above 40% of GDP, the TPA says it is already 129%.

We have totally failed to get the electorate - i.e. the people who matter - to accept that Brown is being thoroughly deceitful in keeping so many items off balance sheet. I have asked several high powered accountants recently how he gets away with it and they just shrug their shoulders.

I would like Cameron to home in on all Brown's deceits and expose them with maximum publicity - but feel once again that this is really the job of the shadow treasury team!

[GB£.com]

The Tories are in the strange position where they are as close to being shaped into an outfit that could sweep into government as they to being ripped apart.

I could see campaigns that could do either. We'll see what Coulson or Labour's new media conference came come up with today.

It really is game on.

Oh I miss my ukiphome days... ;-)

[m wood]

The real lesson of the DG affair is that Labour will use ANY underhand, dishonest method to blacken the Conservative Party in the eyes of the electorate. It has built up a network of connections with the media that it exploits to put it's message across.
I fear that CCO and our leaders constantly underestimate this problem.

[London Tory]

It is no coincidence that Labour has gone up 10% in the polls since Mandelson and Campbell have returned to advise Brown.

-'helping hard working families'

-'the recession started in America' [ a lie]

-'the world wide down turn'

- 'we will do whatever it takes to help'

-'the do nothing Party'

All simple soundbites and themes, repeated with robotic obedience by every Labour spokesperson, at every opportunity.

Nor can it be denied that since Conference we have collectively done nothing to counter this. Our most effective ripostes have come via Redwood's blog and Fallon and Clarke's one liners. Our principal Treasury spokesman looks about 12, speaks like a prating ninny, and spent his summer holidays in a billionaire's playground with a Russian oligarch.

Cameron should have moved Osborne before the Conference- we are now reaping the consequences of that botched decision.

[Oberon Houston]

Point well made, anyone who has read "The Triumph of the Political Class" by Peter Oborne would recognise that this is a typical reaction by politicians more interested in the goings on at Westminster than issues that affect Britons. The media operation has been quite good in the 'de-toxification' phase, but thats relatively easy. The message needs to become more cohesive. Currently the message I get from voters is that they have no clue what we want to do, they just hear specific announcements - there is no overriding narrative to it all. This is why we are sinking just now.

[Oberon Houston]

..ps, I've just responded to the Spelman survey about conference this year in Birmingham - I said it was rubbish, the speeches, sofa chats, poor capacity halls, astronomical cost of it, poor hotel choice, the crammed crappy bar area in the Hyatt etc. etc... Not going to bother next year, waste of my time.

Mr Huffy.

[Sally Roberts]

m wood I fear you are right - we are still too keen to be seen as gentlemanly (or ladylike) whereas Labour are totally unfraid to get their hands dirty!
We have got to match them - and don't tell me we don't possess Masters of the Dark Arts within the Party - we do and we should use them.

[liz kemp]

Also notice the clever subtlety in the current management of the media coverage of Gordon Brown since the return of Mandelson and Campbell. Short numerous clips showing him in a positive light "getting on with the job of running the country ". The moment there is any danger of bad publicity there is frantic action to mask the story with anything to cover it up. Remember the Baby P case? And last week`s PMQ gaffe so he is despatched safely to Basra to avoid another humiliating exchange with Cameron on the last PMQ before Christmas. This is what happened to Hague, Howard and IDS. What DC has done is amazing and he really does need our backing and not the nasty jibes and comments I read with dismay in these blogs. This is what "they" want. Divide and rule. Simple effective and it is working with too many of you. Liz Kemp

[London Tory]

@ Liz

I voted for David Cameron in 2005, but with all due respect he has not 'done' anything yet. We should be miles ahread in the polls.

The big test will be the election. This experiment, this husky hugging for a basically right wing Party, will not survive a defeat.

[liz kemp]

London Tory
If you are not in power how can you "DO" anything ????????
liz kemp

[Letters From A Tory]

A well made point. The Conservatives are trying to spread themselves too thinly instead of focussing on a few core issues that really strike a chord with the voters.

I was delighted to hear Osborne talking about savers and pensioners because this should be one of the core issues as well.

[Cleethorpes Rock]

This is spot on, but I was saying exactly the same thing at the time. In fact, lots of ConHome regulars were saying the same thing and the party didn't listen. We missed an open goal there.

This was my post on 30 November:

"I think we're all outraged by this, but let's consider the tactics of taking Dominic Grieve's line of attack.

Most of Grieve's interview on Sky this morning concentrated on the ethics of whether or not police should be raiding an MP's office and whether it is constitutional. We need to go carefully here. Dominic Grieve is very intelligent but has the tendency to argue like a lawyer, getting into the minute detail. Labour are trying to turn this on us by portraying our criticisms as criticism of the police and will try to claim we are asking for "one law for MPs and another law for the rest of us". Going down the defence of parliamentary privilege route may not cut ice with the man on the street.

We should concentrate on:

- Labour's politicisation of the civil service and the police

- Labour suppressing information that may be embarrassing to them and using the police to enforce this.

- Abuse of "anti-terrorism" laws by using them on totally unconnected cases (Walter Wolfgang, Iceland, Protests)

- The government's attitude to criticism in general.

- To reopen the story about the illegal immigrants working at the Home Office.

Talk of parliamentary privilege, the rights of MPs and consitutional conventions is baffling to most members of the public, who don't happen to be political obsessives like us. It even sounds a little pompous, as if MPs think they are deserving of special privileges. We must not allow this Labour rebuttal to take hold.

This incident should be used to broaden a line of attack about how this government does business and how much the New Labour state is encroaching on our lives.

This incident should present an open goal to us, but we'll only capitalise if we lay it in the right way."

Why are our MPs so stupid they fail to spot what is quite obvious to the rest of us?

[R King]

I saw John Major on TV the other day and I must say that I was impressed by his analogy of the economic down turn. i.e. He separated the global problems from the GB (Great Britain or Gordon Brown) created problems. In doing so he also made Mrs Balls look totally amateurish just repeating the labour diatribe. He also made a good point on savings in allowing the first £5,000.00 interest to be free of taxation.
I would have thought that the Conservative spin machine would have taken these points on board but alas........ nothing!
They really need to do something and soon!

[London Tory]

@ Liz

My point was more about what D.C has 'done'. He has hugged a husky and read the Guardian on the Tube this week- on his way to admonish the wealth creating sector at Canary Wharf through gritted teeth. Bad politics.

Once again he is alienating our core vote to appeal to people who will never vote for him anyway. Just to prove the point, his favourite newspaper slaughtered him for the speech the next day !

I would be much happier at this point to see Mr Cameron sitting on the tube reading the Mail or Telegraph, on his way to lecture a bunch of public sector workers on why their gravy train is over.

[A Banker]

Better do nothing than do the wrong thing.

[support the strivers]

we were in the right of course but that's irrelevant if you're worrying about losing your job, paying for Christmas and the bleak prospects for 2009.

it does worry me that our MPS (all parties) are out of touch when they bang on about principles like this (I repeat of course we were right) which most people do not see as connected to them. (of course they ARE connected but we need to make it clear and relevant)

[Sue Doughty]

The Damien Green affair successfully gave the general impression that the Tories are law breakers. Now the news agenda is being robustly focussing on all spin that worked sucessfully for Labour in the past in their Keep the Tories Out campaign - like CJD, poor policing, ineffective social services and child protection from the past (not the present), and "failed" economic policy and job retention. It is as if Mandelson is back!
We need only update their own messages and throw them back hard. And keep putting the gentle and genuinely concerned Damien Green in screen for all to see he is no evil mobster.

[Mara MacSeoinin]

Absolutely right. We've been downplaying the devastation caused by immigration for far too long. The case is becoming ever-more urgent as our economy contracts and, potentially, heads into a depression as our public spending spirals out of control; there are not enough jobs to go around as it is, and Jacqui Smith's plan to let in thousands of Zimbabwean refugees begs the question: where the hell are we supposed to put them? How are we supposed to house them? How can we afford to feed them? And, considering that the government verbally smashes those on the dole/IB, it seems a bit rich that we're encouraging immigrants with no job prospects to come in?

[R.Rowan]

This video on Guido's blog for wednesday demonstrates exactly how to get a message about the economy across in simple humourous terms that anyone can understand and is quite devastating,the conservative party should be using this type as a PPB."Fred Explains Bailout Economics".for those who haven't seen it it's well worth a look.

[Old Hack]

My other impression of the Conservatives in Parliament recently is that they are a bit too loud. Baiting Brown and bellowing across the chamber perpetuates the common perceptions that 'they are all as bad as each other' etc.

In other words, tone it down. For instance, the Tory reaction to Brown's gaffe was visceral and did not come over well. We need to prove we are better than the Labour mob, which of course we are.

This is difficult to achieve, particularly as the Chamber in the Commons seems purpose built for conflict, but perhaps we need to consider our presentation in the chamber as the last bit of the Tory makeover?

Remember that Labour will try to differentiate between Cameron and the Party he leads. It's the Commons where most people gain their impressions of each party. Our lot need to mind their manners.

[rugfish]

Clearly the message has to be simplified and hit on what most people are concerned with.

i.e. JOBS - and keeping a roof over their heads.

It might be right to talk about government debt and this being offloaded to taxpayers for instance but when talking to individuals who may not have a job then I doubt they'd be bothered if 'others who do', are paying more taxes.

To get away from the salacious accusations of "A do nothing Party", the leader has to force home the message that he can't actually "DO", anything until Brown gets out the way !!!

Then produce a list of 3 or 4 plainly worded policies which will IMMEDIATELY improve people's lives.

Like :-

1 - A TAX CUT for the lower paid.

2 - A TAX incentive for businesses who take on staff.

3 - Removal of VAT on domestic supplies coupled with a reversal of the £12 billion VAT which only applies if you buy a microwave or some other "non-essential item".

4 - Removal of stamp duty on house purchases to be replaced with a 'sales tax on house SALES'.

Banks should also be FORCED into merger and this should be managed by the Bank of England.

Current government spending plans should also be itemised and listed if planning to cut them and an amount of savings produced which can be put into the economy in tax cuts and better allowances to HELP PEOPLE THROUGH THIS DIFFICULT PERIOD WE ARE ALL FACING "TOGETHER".

As for the Damian Green affair it's not a vote winner, no one is bothered about it in the country, and the answer should be to each question, that if we had a reliable government in place then this NONSENSE wouldn't have happened.

I sometimes think there's no one there actually talking about these things.

Also, could David Cameron please start NOT taking notes with him when giving his speeches as he's looking at them constantly and making me think he doesn't actually fully believe in his heart of hearts what he's saying, and if I as a supporter of his can feel that then I'm sure an apolitical voter can too.

[Mainstream Conservative]

Excellent post.

[Mark Fulford]

The electoral calculus of the Damien Green affair must factor degree as well as quantity. True, many don’t care about the implications, but those who do, care greatly.

As for your three hard-hitting messages, if there are lessons in the Damien Green affair, I’m afraid they don’t heed them.

1. Who cares about national debt? For most it doesn’t even register as an issue and, if you can get people to think about it, are you sure they don’t privately sympathise with putting-off problems for another day? If national debt is to be one of your themes, we have to sell the sizzle, not the sausage. How does national debt affect lives today?

2. The scale of Labour incompetence. This is noise, not news. Every political party calls its rivals incompetent. Also a blunt attack because, on the surface at least, the services that we use day to day are working OK.

3. The scale of Labour deceit. Again, noise, not news, that politicians are deceitful. If anything it's a reminder of the sleaze that haunted the last Conservative government. Lies about future taxes -- anything about the future is one opinion against another and will not work.

[GB£.com]

Britain is in deep doo-doo.

Surely the only message is "when are you going to get us out of this mess?"

Not 'who got us into it?' but 'when are you going to get us out of it?'.

Cameron said that he is a man with a plan, but a plan involves timescales as well as actions. Of course they are not cast in stone, but a plan without timescales is not a plan but merely an aspiration.

I'd like to see a clear plan that shows how the Tories will get the country back in shape (debt, taxes etc) in x years, faster than Labour.

Neither party has a plan, just a series of minor, disparate, poorly thought out initiatives, and so with both tinkering around the edges at a time when a clear radical action plan is needed, it is hard to see, even as things get worse in 2009, that the electorate will warm to the Tories in sufficient numbers to kick Labour out.

[Rod Sellers]

Anyone born during or just after World War Two will feel that they have come full circle. We now know that the official level of National Debt is £2.7 Trillion (184% of our annual GDP)

This is the crushing level of debt we built up fighting a war to save the free world and now Britain is back where it started.

But unlike a debt built up saving democracy this current squandering of our national treasure - the worst of any developed country - is the result of a misguided beliefe(by all parties ) in an ever growing Welfare State.

However well intentioned it was in the beginning, supply will never satisfy demand and for sure we will never run out of claimants - in fact we breed them and now import them.

Long term there is no subsitute for personal responsibility, standing on your own feet and paying your own way.But as long as the Holy Cow of Socialist Welfareism remains untouchable we will lurch even further into bankruptcy.

Finest Hour to Basket Case Economy in a generation - that's the real message.

[David Belchamber]

Liz at 10.21:

"London Tory
If you are not in power how can you "DO" anything ????????"

A good practical point and rather dispiriting.

I think David Cameron, on the whole, has done exceedingly well and the way he riposted with five specific things to a Labour backbencher who challenged him to say what he would have done to alleviate recession was top-class. It should be an example to his colleagues to be more substantial in their attempts to hold the government to account, rather than just clever.

However, I criticise him for not having made George Osborne Chairman of the party some months ago and brought in more firepower to the shadow treasury team. Howard Flight's analysis of the causes of Brown's recession (From Boom to Bust) is required reading and our team should have been hammering Darling, Yvette Cooper et al with its contents every time they make their deceitful claims.

As it is, they have not and Jo Public believes Gordon Brown's own PR that he is the best person to lead us out of recession.

So, Liz, one thing he could do is to turn out his first eleven and not an A side.

Then he could promise a referendum on the EU - whether to stay in and try and reform it or to get out.

I believe it would be entirely principled to leave that decision to the people and, if he promised to do that, then UKIP voters might come back to the fold.

[GB£.com]

With such a strong EUR that is likely to weaken next year, and weak Gold that is likely to rise as the turmoil continues, maybe it is time to suggest correcting Brown's monumentous error and to switch the national reserves back out of EUR and into Gold.

Wishful thinking I know!

[Lindsay Jenkins]

Thank goodness there is at least one sane voice in the Shadow Cabinet. I agree with London Tory, rugfish and others.

Cameron and Osborne give every appearance of not understanding money. Labour has exploited their backgrounds to reinforce the point.

Bashing bankers, as many of us repeatedly say, is ridiculous and illiterate. And its certainly caught on with voters.

Michael Howard was on target when he attacked waste - it should be a similar message today - profligate government spending our money - money in short supply and that's why more people are losing their jobs.

Cut government, reduce taxes.

KISS is right.

[rugfish]

Gordon Brown has said a "can-do attitude" will help the British economy get through the current downturn and prepare for future recovery.

I can get rid of Labour, I can, I can, I can.

Nope, that didn't work.

I can fly back to Kansas, I can. I can, I can !!!

If I click my pretty red heels together I can do anything !!!

Nope, that didn't work either.

I wish the doctor would write me a prescription for what Brown is on which is obviously aiding "his" recovery but not mine !

[Malcolm Dunn]

Sympathy with Mark Fulford's points, blaming Labour for everything may be true but will it grab the attention of the people? We've been blaming them for 11 years and a fat lot of good it did us.
I would agree with the senior shadow cabinet minister who said we must go much bigger on our ideas on immigration.

[Perdix]

Remember what you are dealing with is a deeply cynical and spin-practised Labour Party (Brown, Straw, Mandelson in particular).Brown does nothing without political calculation and to hell with the future of the nation.

[Garth Wiseman]

I have been a Conservative supporter and member all my life but I'm afraid David C is not papabile as PM. Neither he nor his shadow Chancellor are up to the job. Brown and his allies are making mincemeat of them. We need some heavyweights on the Opposition front bench; Ken Clarke, Malcolm Rifkind etc and Michael Heseltine in the Lords. They may be 'old' but they have the political weight and will make it count.

[Peter Buss]

The three principles you mention Tim are great - but may I say are all negative. Imagine you're in a sinking ship and one lot spends all their time blaming the Captain for the disaster but the other lot(including the Captain responsible for the mess) spends all their time saying this is how we are going to get out of this mess. Which lot do you think the sinking pasengers might listen to!At least the Captain has a plan!

As it is every opinion poll shows that the public do believe that Brown is partially culpable for the mess and reckon the borowing is way too high. We've won that pat of the War. We need to get on to Stage 2.

We have GOT to come out with a coherent positive plan for economic recovery - and call it that or else we are well and truly sunk in my view. We've got to be positive and start laying out some very very simple messages which show how we will help peaople including the unempoloyed,home owners etc etc.We MUST shake off the "don't care - do nothing tag" with positive constructive conservative policies. Cameron is at his best when he spreads optimism - and the promise that he brings change for the better. We truly cannot win an election by simply saying "vote for us because you will feel the pain even more !!" It just won't work.

Any idea that being stridently anti Europe will harvest the votes is ludicrous. Frankly Europe is the last thing on the voters minds at the moment and as Labour found in the 83 election held in a recession such talk is counterproductive as it only makes the voters feel even more insecure.

[David Sergeant]

"Brown does nothing without political calculation and to hell with the future of the nation."

Posted by: Perdix | December 19, 2008 at 15:00

Exactly. Even the VAT reduction was applied because it made the government look as if it is doing something. (£20 bil to make Brown look caring!) The Conservative party needs to understand how the world thinks outside Westminster. One reason Labour have not introduced the Conservatives bank lending scheme is (a) it's the Conservatives' idea and (b) there is more political milage in looking to the Jaguar workers as if you are specifically helping them rather than a contrywide scheme that happens, because it is effective, to solve the problems.

Of course at the same time we need to bash Labour/Brown. The financial state of the country relative to 1997 and other countries makes Brown the most incompetent Chancellor internationally and in recent times in Britain. Any statement on anything should contain that (statistically correct) observation. It is now clear that Brown's "saving" of the banks was a paniky bungled affair (and to the extent other countries did the same thing, e.g Sweden in 1991, they all did a more professional and successful job.) leaving loose ends all over the place requiring a return to sort out Brown's latest mess. It would seem reasonable, therefore, to say that at present Brown is demonstrating he is the most incomptetent at finance in the Western world, again. (Even if you think this is a bit extreme that's no reason for not saying it - it will get noticed which is more than sonorous speeches on tax details.)

Of course I don't expect any party leader to say any of the above. It involves putting the boot in, getting hands dirty and Conservatives don't do that. Even when their country is being bankrupted before their eyes. So help me the Archbishop of Canterbury did better and Brown's retort was wide open to be clobbered.

[John (Northumberland)]

I agree that a few carefully chosen 'sound bites' help create perceptions. Remember the 'Winter of Discontent'? We should select a few and fight fire with fire.

However, I also suggest everyone shows faith & patience. Let Brown punch himself out. The welter of bad news in 2009 will show him for what he is.

Then say, "You created this mess AND made it worse with your incessant and profligate meddling. in short, you steered us on to the rocks, bankrupted and then failed to rectify - JUST GO NOW!!!" "It's time for change, time for living within our means (not debt fuelled), time for the Conservatives!"

Contrary to what Brown, Mandelson & Campbell believe, the voters are NOT stupid.

We'll win in 2010, though what we'll inherit doesn't bear thinking about...

[prziloczek]

Does anyone ever read down this far I wonder?
Our local Comprehensive School has severe discipline problems - so what a clever idea it would be to bring in the Police to patrol the playground/toilets FREE! Two Policemen were given the task. And they are brilliant - so far.
What happens, I wonder, when their Police and School duties clash over, say, drugs, or say, teenage sex or, say, meeting targets for teenage violence?
The Police are to FIGHT CRIME. If you need a Security Man, then hire your own!

[MG]

The main theme of the original article, that a focus is needed, is entirely correct. The focus needs to be on what people are interested in - economy, law & order, health, education - all held together by a theme. Regarding other comments - most people simply will not vote on Europe and Immigration, no matter how important some may think it is and no matter how important it actually is and no matter how often people go on about it.

I agree with those that say being positive is also important. By all means point strongly to what Labour has done wrong (thats vital) but always end positively on what we would do. Don't need vast detailed policy, just a few sound points repeated often and with examples.

Be bold - the economy is unbalanced - what is our view of the future of our economy - explain where we want to lead Britain. The broken society agenda is just the flip side of a broken economy agenda.

[john broughton]

One of the best Con Home threads in a while.

I'm passionately in favour of civil liberties and equally against the eu but, provided we promise to hold a treaty (Lisbon) referendum, whether in force or not, when we next form the Government (2010 at latest) I'll put those to one side.

KISS is the answer as is "it is the economy stupid."

We must personalise the debt and the mortgaging of the future. Our stance on public debt is right but the Brown Terror (thanks Simon H) is getting away with 40% or less. The statistician who complained about knife crime has been strangely silent about national debt. Why?

The banks have been "recapitalized" with term loans (that is what prefs are) at 12% while now being urged to lend at base + X. Base is 2% and even an excessive rate of +5 is only 7%. Contrast that with what depositors receive on their savings. Here is a novel way to resolve this, the governement can resoove this by selling its prefs (at par) to individual pensioners and pension funds - 12% is very attractive. The mortgaging of our future can be resolved in part.

Should there still be a problem with banks (other than paying 12% for funding and lending at 7% [see earlier]) then the governemnt can guarantee the relevant undertakings; at least guarantees cost virtually nothing even if they do restrict ordinary borrowers borrowings - not governments though!

In summary we need to get our easy and simple messages across - precisely Tim's point.

We have to nail this lot. Should Brown creep in again I'll emigrate.

[Matt Wright]

Agree John. Can you imagine 5 more years of Brown? Even more centralised, bureaucractic and dysfunctional systems. Even more borrowing and taxes. Even more state snooping and meddling. Even more spin and delusion. The economy unbalanced and backward; the private sector weighed down; the public sector measured to death. Those on the front line; those trying to save, those trying to have a home and get on in the world; those who want the best for their kids; those trying to do the right thing - all demoralised by the burden of Brown.

[Matt Wright]

Agree John. Can you imagine 5 more years of Brown? Even more centralised, bureaucractic and dysfunctional systems. Even more borrowing and taxes. Even more state snooping and meddling. Even more spin and delusion. The economy unbalanced and backward; the private sector weighed down; the public sector measured to death. Those on the front line; those trying to save, those trying to have a home and get on in the world; those who want the best for their kids; those trying to do the right thing - all demoralised by the burden of Brown.

[James Robinson]

I do!

[rugfish]

Memo to George:

From: rugfish

Date: Immediate

Action: Urgent

Reference: The Economy and our poll ratings

Dear George,

Please emphasize we have a plan of action.
Say it in easy phrases.
Tell people there's a cost to it but you'll try your best to offset large amounts of that cost by savings and you'll spread repayment over 10 years to get Britain's books back into the black.

Then go to town on your plans and please consider the following which are affordable NOW :-

1 - A TAX CUT for the lower paid.

2 - A TAX incentive for businesses who take on staff.

3 - Removal of VAT on domestic supplies coupled with a reversal of the £12 billion VAT which only applies if you buy a microwave or some other "non-essential item".

4 - Removal of stamp duty on house purchases to be replaced with a 5% 'Sales Tax on house SALES' thus 'doubling revenue'.

Then throw a few apples of comfort which will be injected into the economy on the basis of '10 year' loan guarantees which will stabilise the economy for 2 parliaments whilst you eagerly beaver away at the national debt which Labour created.

Yours sincerely,

etc etc etc

[Meridian]

Obviously no-one else sees anything wrong in 'a senior member of the Shadow Cabinet' criticising the leadership of the Party to ConservativeHome. I think David Cameron has the right to expect his Shadow Ministers not to gossip with journalists and/or ConservativeHome, but to express any grievances they may have inside Shadow Cabinet.

[Mark Williams]

The DG affair tells the Conservative party one thing: It is OK for a future Conservative Home Secretary to order the investigation of the entire Cabinet at the time of the decision to got to war with Iraq and Campbell, confiscation all their papers, and potential arrest and detention under anti-terrorsit powers for up to 28 days on a potential charge of conspiracy to kill unspecified Iraqis.

NB: I wouldn't necessarily support such a prosecution, but it would be good to give them a dose of their own medicine.

[John Bell]

1)The scale of public debt - personalised for every person in Britain;
2)The scale of Labour incompetence - these people can't run anything;
3)The scale of Labour deceit - big tax rises are coming;

Not enough to simply make these points; we have been doing so since the downturn happened. People now want to know what we are going to do to improve on them.