With the interminable campaigns finally about to go into their last week, it's time for the Conservatives to get a grip if they are to finish up at all well.
They have a good story of the last 5 years to to tell. They are way ahead in perceptions of their ability to run the economy. They are up against the most uncharasmatic and ineffective Leader of the Opposition in living memory .They should be walking towards victory and riding high in the polls. But they aren't.
Why not?
First there is the Leader, David Cameron a man immensely at ease with himself and his coterie of close friends mainly acquired at school and university. Given a pedestal upon which to stand he is undoubtedly a charming and courteous host, especially on his metro London or Cotswold home turf. Away from those things he does not look not at home at all, either among "ordinary" people in Britain or the non British political communities abroad. He relishes the red carpet stuff and positively glows when with the Angelas, Obamas and other top players, wearing a strange sort of "Look who I'm with" sort of stifled smug grin. Blair was the same, reaching the peak of hubris when he stood side by side with George Bush, thumbs thrust down his jeans, having just promised him he would do whatever was required in Iraq.
Both major party's campaigns have been dreadful, stage managed "Don't meet the people but look as if you do" affairs. Lecturn based speeches to almost empty, but thanks to the camera's, full looking halls have been the norm. Nurses, teachers, schoolchildren, apprentices, or whoever is the theme of the day have been wheeled out to form backdrops on pain of death to look cheerful and make no inappropriate gestures. It has been a total farce.No knockabout town hall hustings. No questions. No answers. Cameron and Miliband have been swept straight from their lecturns into their Bentleys or battlebuses and driven off at speed. This has allowed the well tutored Miliband to grow into looking like a possible Prime Minister while Cameron, lacking the visible passion and energy, has ever so gently shrunk. Miliband has gone for every media opportunity while Cameron seems to have chillaxed and avoided anything remotely risky.
Despite the voters known dislike for negative campaigns, Cameron has veered off the positive messages about the economy into unnecessary and un-Prime Ministerial personal attacks on both Miliband and Scotland's Nicola Sturgeon. Having orginally stood where he was told by advisor Lynton Crosby on the economy, Cameron has more and more shown his lack of feel for the game by swerving all over the road in trying to respond to every special offer by the other parties. He has inexplicably countered with unnecessary and unaffordable ones of his own. Why after five years of fiscal prudence risk it all by throwing money around in the last four weeks? It makes no sense.
As result right now Conservative voters feel that this election might be slipping away from them. The BBC of course does all it can to move this impression along in all sorts of subtle and less subtle ways but there does seem to be a drift. With just a few more days to go, the Conservative leadership must now re-energise the Prime Minister, get him out there shaking some real hands looking like he's really enjoying it rather than reaching for the hand sanitiser and shouting the economic success theme from the rooftops. No harm in reminding people where he has brought it all from these last five years , what a wreck it was and who caused it but from that baseline he has to break out into the "We are hungry to finish the job" theme. If he doesn't what follows could be messy, -and involve a lot more chillaxing for him. His colleagues and voters won't thank him for that. He may be able to afford it but they and the country can't.
They have a good story of the last 5 years to to tell. They are way ahead in perceptions of their ability to run the economy. They are up against the most uncharasmatic and ineffective Leader of the Opposition in living memory .They should be walking towards victory and riding high in the polls. But they aren't.
Why not?
First there is the Leader, David Cameron a man immensely at ease with himself and his coterie of close friends mainly acquired at school and university. Given a pedestal upon which to stand he is undoubtedly a charming and courteous host, especially on his metro London or Cotswold home turf. Away from those things he does not look not at home at all, either among "ordinary" people in Britain or the non British political communities abroad. He relishes the red carpet stuff and positively glows when with the Angelas, Obamas and other top players, wearing a strange sort of "Look who I'm with" sort of stifled smug grin. Blair was the same, reaching the peak of hubris when he stood side by side with George Bush, thumbs thrust down his jeans, having just promised him he would do whatever was required in Iraq.
Both major party's campaigns have been dreadful, stage managed "Don't meet the people but look as if you do" affairs. Lecturn based speeches to almost empty, but thanks to the camera's, full looking halls have been the norm. Nurses, teachers, schoolchildren, apprentices, or whoever is the theme of the day have been wheeled out to form backdrops on pain of death to look cheerful and make no inappropriate gestures. It has been a total farce.No knockabout town hall hustings. No questions. No answers. Cameron and Miliband have been swept straight from their lecturns into their Bentleys or battlebuses and driven off at speed. This has allowed the well tutored Miliband to grow into looking like a possible Prime Minister while Cameron, lacking the visible passion and energy, has ever so gently shrunk. Miliband has gone for every media opportunity while Cameron seems to have chillaxed and avoided anything remotely risky.
Despite the voters known dislike for negative campaigns, Cameron has veered off the positive messages about the economy into unnecessary and un-Prime Ministerial personal attacks on both Miliband and Scotland's Nicola Sturgeon. Having orginally stood where he was told by advisor Lynton Crosby on the economy, Cameron has more and more shown his lack of feel for the game by swerving all over the road in trying to respond to every special offer by the other parties. He has inexplicably countered with unnecessary and unaffordable ones of his own. Why after five years of fiscal prudence risk it all by throwing money around in the last four weeks? It makes no sense.
As result right now Conservative voters feel that this election might be slipping away from them. The BBC of course does all it can to move this impression along in all sorts of subtle and less subtle ways but there does seem to be a drift. With just a few more days to go, the Conservative leadership must now re-energise the Prime Minister, get him out there shaking some real hands looking like he's really enjoying it rather than reaching for the hand sanitiser and shouting the economic success theme from the rooftops. No harm in reminding people where he has brought it all from these last five years , what a wreck it was and who caused it but from that baseline he has to break out into the "We are hungry to finish the job" theme. If he doesn't what follows could be messy, -and involve a lot more chillaxing for him. His colleagues and voters won't thank him for that. He may be able to afford it but they and the country can't.
