Reader Response Wednesday

We've had a number of great questions in since the last time we did one of these. Thanks to everyone who has sent one in, sorry I'm taking a few days to reply but things have been a bit busy lately. Keep on sending things in and I promise I'll get back to you ASAP.

Here are two of the best:

Our first question comes from Sue. She wanted to know my thoughts on who our next leader is going to be. Well I'm sorry to disappoint but I really don't know what to think. There are a lot of people I would like to see in the role of course, we do afterall have many capable MPs, and I have a lot of respect for many of the current cabinet. It's important to note though that when David Cameron became leader he wasn't a front runner and had only been an MP for a short while. We won't pick our leader based on entitlement, but on ability with the most capable candidate - whoever that might be! - being the one to get my vote.

Second we have David who wanted to know if my thoughts on the EU have changed lately, particularly after the report by MPs that the Prime Minister's proposals will need treaty change. In my opinion though that doesn't matter. I see the EU as the future for the UK. Yes it needs reform, yes it must better service our needs but in the long run we are better off in and my opinion on that won't  change simply because the task got harder.

The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors

In the Game of Thrones universe many people would claim the Starks of Winterfell are the 'good' guys. They act with honour and purpose so it's easy to see them in that light. Likewise those same people would say the Lannisters of Casterly Rock are the villains of the piece as they do things which are not always honourable or moral - politics is similar. We in the Tory party are branded as heartless villains because we pursue policies judged by our enemies to be harsh and without morality. It is important to remember though that while Tywin Lannister was harsh and Cersei a bit mad the Lannisters are not all that way. Tyrion the Imp may be a drunken whore monger but he is perhaps the only character in the series that puts the good of the nation and the people ahead of his own personal grudges and vendettas. Even Jamie Lannister in later seasons becomes a more likable figure after the revelation that he only earned his kingslayer name after the mad king had ordered him to burn the city of Kings Landing to the ground.

My point is that perception matters. We allow ourselves to be painted as heartless and to an extent we embrace that reputation despite the facts painting a rather different picture. After all under a Tory administration unemployment has plummeted to it's lowest levels in years, more young people than ever before are going to university and by the end of this parliament Britain will be living within her means - ensuring future generations will not be paying off debts accrued not by their fathers but their grandfathers and great grandfathers etc.

Yes we've made mistakes, tax credit reform being one of them, and we will probably make a few more before the job is done but we must never lose sight of the good we are doing nor should we ever accept the narrative that we are in some way less moral than our opponents. We must instead be confident that our actions are building a better future free from the tyranny of statism and socialism and that because of us Britain can stand tall again.

Campaigning Tips from a Campaign Manager.

As some of you may have heard I will be starting my new job on Monday as a Campaign Manager for the Conservative Party. With this in mind I thought it might be a good idea to talk briefly about best practice for campaign days in the run up to the elections in May. I don't think everyone needs to know these things (or even that they are particularly advanced techniques) but it's always helpful to have a run down on the basics:

1. Joined up Campaigning. Nothing irritates me more than seeing resources being wasted and by failing to connect campaign days with one another that is precisely what we do. Everything should connect. If you leaflet an area one week, you should canvass it the next. While you're out and about you should take photos and put them up on facebook and twitter so the public can see you engaging with them. Little things like this make a huge difference.

2. Good use of elected officials. MPs, Assembly Members and Councillors are some of the best resources we have for elections. They are well known and well liked with a support base of their own to draw upon. If they aren't actively involved in campaigning for candidates i'm sad to say we are missing a trick. Do your association's councillors put out regular ward newsletters where they can sneak in a picture of a candidate shaking their hand? do they engage with local clubs and organisations regularly and can they introduce you to the right people at them? heck are they regulars at their local pub and well liked by the other patrons? by showing their faces and being willing to show their support, our candidates gain powerful local advocates at zero cost and potentially get extra chances to interact with potential voters outside of the doorstep and telephone.

3. Speaking of the Phone... we all dread that call at 8pm in the evening. Something good is just coming on telly, we've got a nice cuppa in our hands and then RING RING RING RING. The person on the other end might be wonderful and they might have something to say that a voter wants to hear but at that time of the night they aren't listening anymore. Telecanvassing is a wonderful tool if used properly but try to avoid getting stuck into the many mistakes which can be made. Keep calling to pre 7:30pm and always try to leave the person you've spoken to feeling like their time was precious to you and you are grateful they gave you a few minutes of it (I know its hard but well worth it in the end).

4. Multi-purpose. It's a sad fact that in campaigning money talks, but what if you don't have much of it? well that means you need to get clever. If you are going to put out a A4 leaflet make it single sided with a poster on the back and a tag line saying 'if you believe in X please put our poster in your window' that way you get maximum value for your money. The same goes with calling cards. You've rocked up on a door and there's no answer? great leave a dual-purpose calling card which has some basic information on side and on the other you write a time and date for when you'll be back in the area and ask them to leave it in their window if they would like to talk to someone from the campaign. Simple and effective.

5. Social Media. I've already touched on this at the beginning but these days facebook and twitter are a must. They are not however the only forms of social media available to candidates nor are they the most effective. Youtube offers a wonderful opportunity for targeted video advertisement and in the same way that radio and television were once thought to be the best means of reaching the public (fireside chats etc) this new social media connects to growing demographics of the computer literate. This includes a growing proportion of the over 50s and, as you can imagine, almost all young people. There are plenty of avenues open if candidates and agents are willing to look, including blogs (which Guy Opperman MP is well known for using to convey his thoughts to the public)

And finally.

6. Have Fun. Campaigning is hard. It is a brutal slogging match between party machines all going after the same prizes. Most of our warriors are volunteers and we need to ensure that they are not only motivated in one session but are motivated to come back again and again. In the past I always tried to end campaign days in a pub or a coffee shop. Somewhere where we could sit and unwind, have a laugh and a joke (maybe some hot food) and enjoy the company of our fellow activists. This step matters and if you take nothing away from this list but this than you'll at least be doing ok.

New Years Day.

Well. I survived. The pain im feeling from everything I drank last night might take me later on but for now I'm still going. Today's post is not a very long one, nor a particularly detailed one. It's simply to say thank you in advance to all Tories who read this blog and come out campaigning to help us win this years elections in London, Wales, Scotland and councils across the UK. Every volunteer is an extra few dozen houses where we can spread our message of 'striving not skiving' and highlight our record as the party of fiscal responsibility.