BLOG: Dougal Paver on the Tory election PR plan

By Alistair Houghton on Jan 4, 10 04:01 PM

LDP Creative blogger Dougal Paver sees battle lines drawn on the party balance sheet

DAVID Cameron yesterday revealed the first chapter in the Tory party's manifesto - and backed up the PR blitz with 1,000 posters around the country.

The Tories' financial muscle is set to define the election campaign - assuming, of course, that what they have to say is worth paying attention to. They may be able to vastly outspend the Labour party but they have to out-think them, too.
Rumour has it that the unions are holding on to a £25m war chest in anticipation of a Conservative victory, using the money to campaign against their widely-anticipated public sector cuts and restrict them to a one-term government.
On-line campaigning will form a key plank, mobilising local communities and interest groups against particular elements of the new government's spending plans.
Key to the unions' success will be another communications issue: whether or not David Cameron looked the country in the face prior to the election and told us about the scale of the cuts to come. If he did - and if his candour is rewarded with a sufficiently large majority - then he might just dull any traction the unions build up.
So, having the financial firepower to fight the election will be vitally important but so will the message. 'Twas ever thus.

Dougal Paver is managing director at Paver Smith in Liverpool