http://www.theopen-road.com/index.php/blog/index/ en rosie.clarke@theopen-road.com Copyright 2010 2010-03-04T10:07:00+00:00 http://www.theopen-road.com/index.php/blog/nick_cleggs_best_idea_so_far/ http://www.theopen-road.com/index.php/blog/nick_cleggs_best_idea_so_far/#When:10:07:00Z Well, this Thursday certainly sees Mr Clegg in Shortlist. Even if it is somewhere near the back.... and edited down to just one page. But even in that short amount of space, Nick Clegg does genuinely come across as the most normal of the three, despite the incident of cacti arson and the transcendental meditation. His story about his eight-year old’s plan to capture Bin Laden is actually funny (apparently we need to put up a sign on shops saying ‘everything is free in this shop for Osama Bin Laden only’, and that will have the desired effect of drawing him out… I hope MI6 are listening). But most of all, Clegg’s aspiration for a political Come Dine With Me (Cameron, Brown, Clegg rating each other’s dinner party hosting) is sheer genius. Make this man Prime Minister. 2010-03-04T10:07:00+00:00 http://www.theopen-road.com/index.php/blog/the_tory_future/ http://www.theopen-road.com/index.php/blog/the_tory_future/#When:08:10:00Z Labour activists of a certain vintage still remember with horror the moment when David Amess retained Basildon in the 1992 election.  It was the first confirmation that the Labour lead in the polls had melted away and that John Major and his soapbox had won, despite the poll tax fiasco and a struggling economy. Of course this story had a happy ending - at least for those activists.  Major’s majority of 21 proved to be insufficient to keep a stale Parliamentary party together and the Conservatives duly went down to a landslide defeat in 1997.  Tony Blair walked into a positive economic picture bequeathed to him by Major and Ken Clarke and his party has been in power ever since. There are some parallels here which make unpleasant reading for David Cameron, but might just be good news for the Conservatives as a party. Cameron seems to be struggling to pull away from Labour in the polls - or indeed to maintain any sort of lead at all.  It is at least possible that he will end up facing a minority Labour government kept in power by the absurdity of the electoral boundaries and the support of the LibDems. But does that matter?  The new Brown administration would be weak.  The recession will not disappear.  A public conned once into thinking that Brown has the skill to save them from economic pain will be much less inclined to be fooled again.  And the LibDems are more than likely to pull their support when the going gets tough.  Because they’re like that. Result:  a second relatively swift election at a period when the economy is recovering and people are feeling more optimistic and willing to bet on positive change. Whether that Conservative landslide is one presided over by Cameron or not is an interesting question.  To hang on - if he wants to - Cameron will have to sack George Osborne, who will be blamed, however unfairly, for the failure to win.  If he cannot, will not, or simply does not want to try to hold on, then there are not many credible contenders to repalce him.  But in this imaginary contest the Conservative party will undoubtedly revert to type.  If the heir of Blair has failed, then perhaps a more serious , heavyweight figure might be required. A sort of Brown-light, rugged but charming. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the next Conservative prime minister...David Davis!  2010-03-01T08:10:00+00:00 http://www.theopen-road.com/index.php/blog/shortlist_face_off/ http://www.theopen-road.com/index.php/blog/shortlist_face_off/#When:16:42:00Z So in the ‘face off’ of interviews-ordered-by-their-press-offices-about-how-normal-they are, ‘Dave’ and ‘Gordon’ appeared in successive weeks in the free tubemag Shortlist (circulation: 462,731). The early favourite was bound to be Cameron; and sadly for Gordon, despite including some photos of him jogging and heaving ‘like a normal guy’, ‘twas ever thus.  Briefed to the max, his answers to questions like ‘Do you have any favourite [films]?’ were just a little odd: ‘I think Cry Freedom was one of the great films.  Recently, I watched The Damned United, which is an amazing film about Leeds United.  It’s based on a book, which I’ve also read.  I’ve seen Invictus.  I saw State of Play recently too.’ Flashes of recent zeitgeist tapes perhaps, (or at least the one which guided his ‘coincidental’ inspiration from Morgan Freeman’s poem.) Sensing this weakness, Shortlist gave us a suggestion box of how Gordon can improve his ‘likeability’, from authorities like ‘body language expert Robert Phipps, of Robertphipps.com’, and Colin Byrne of Weber Shandwick.  Sadly Gordon had no side piece from Toby Young, whose authoritative insights about Dave we were treated to last week.  (Perhaps Shortlist was unable to find someone to write about the time they saw Gordon look past them in the Junior Common Room.) When faced with interviews like these it’s hard not to sharpen your scrutiny on the interviewers and their task of passing off a defiantly bland interview as hot copy - not very good news for Dave’s man and his endearing jokes about wearing a red tie (!).  Teed up by banter like ‘We hear you’re a big darts fan’, Dave scored bloke points with some great chat about his love for darts legends, canned Guinness and spit roasting.  Unfortunately for Gordon, the easiest questions seem to be the hardest.  On the other hand, in comparison with Dave’s darts, maybe most people would struggle explaining ‘Is it true your home town used to smell of Linoleum?’ with a wink and a smile. Dave’s comparative strength in these areas is well known, so maybe he had an off day, but he seemed keen not to over his bloky creds.  Perhaps he knows, despite the work of publications such as Shortlist, that Gordon is right when he produces his best bite: ‘It’s character that matters in the end, not personality.’ If that’s the case, and considering the shameless blandity of these interviews, is it actually better to ‘lose’ these personality contests?  Bad for Shortlist, good for policies… (Will we see ‘Nick’ next Thursday?) UK Media 2010-02-25T16:42:00+00:00 http://www.theopen-road.com/index.php/blog/most_fanciable_mps_according_to_sky/ http://www.theopen-road.com/index.php/blog/most_fanciable_mps_according_to_sky/#When:14:48:00Z You read it here first – and now it’s official; Lib Dems are one HOT party. That’s right, Lib Dem MP Ms Lynne Featherstone has topped the infamous Sky News top ten most fanciable MPs. The list itself comes as a bit of a revelation; Justine Greening relegated to tenth place, equal with the frankly rather dashing Ed Vaizey (although I am assured by colleagues that he photographs well and is actually not such a hottie in real life….) A bit of a surprise; at number eight comes the lady with the f#ck-me shoes; Theresa May… best known for a rather flamboyant dress sense. And at number seven is pretty boy Andy Burnham, with the equally pretty boy of the Tory party, Jeremy Hunt, at level pegging. And it’s then that the Lib Dems really start coming into their own; Nick Clegg is the only political leader on the list at number five, and reality TV-star Julia Goldsworthy comes in at four. The top three sees a battle between three ladies who are all pushing 50 and beyond; with disgraced Tory Julie Kirkbride (currently seeking a career in lobbying, although if this list is anything to go by, a career in catalogue modelling beckons..). Former Minister for Fitness Caroline Flint providing a bit of window dressing at number two, and Lib Dem MP Lynne Featherstone in top spot as the best of a bad bunch. Given that the Lib Dems have proportionally far fewer MPs than either of the two main parties, I think that officially secures their place as the party of the beautiful… A couple of fanciable MPs that we think have been missed off the Sky list: James Purnell Theresa Villiers Jeremy Browne Jenny Willott Yvette Cooper David Laws Alan Johnson Jack Straw 2010-02-12T14:48:00+00:00 http://www.theopen-road.com/index.php/blog/style_over_substance/ http://www.theopen-road.com/index.php/blog/style_over_substance/#When:12:29:00Z Tory communications have come under criticism recently and with good reason. 2010 has already seen a botched prison ships announcement (which only Andy Coulson seemed to know about) a U-turn on when marriage tax breaks would be introduced, and George Osborne’s announcement that Lord Stern would advise the party which was immediately denied by Stern himself. All the more reason to point out when they’ve done something right, namely placing a fluffy profile piece of their newest MP, Chloe Smith in Stylist magazine. It’s a smart move for 3 reasons: 1. Women’s magazines don’t cover politics often or in much detail, but the Tory press team have managed to get 3 pages of dedicated coverage by deploying their assets well. Smith is young, photogenic, fashion conscious (a purple suit and oversized beads is hardly fashion forward, but this is politics) and a neat match for stylist’s demographic. 2. It’s a nice bit of brand building (or brand decontamination). Between a Work and Pensions Select Committee meeting and a photo shoot on Westminster bridge there were more than a few key messages detectable. We hear how liberal minded Chloe ‘doesn’t fit neatly with the widespread view of Conservative politicians’ and are told that Section 28 was ‘not our finest hour’. Personally, I found it bland and vapid, but maybe that’s because I already know what a select committee is. There’s no point in putting out policy papers every week if people’s general perception of the party is negative. 3. Stylist was a great pick. It’s got a circulation of 400,000 and free copies are distributed across London, Manchester and Brighton at train stations. People who have forgotten to bring a book onto public transport are a captive audience. I got onto the central line with no intention of reading that bloody article. 2010-02-04T12:29:00+00:00 http://www.theopen-road.com/index.php/blog/a_pr_catastrophe/ http://www.theopen-road.com/index.php/blog/a_pr_catastrophe/#When:11:31:00Z Oh Alex, what have you done? After months of being caught up in the PR dream that was Andre v’s Price, you managed to convince the red tops and celebrity big brother audiences that you are simply ‘a loveable plonker.’ You could have had a wonderful (airbrushed) existence in countless OK! spreads, launched your own aftershave, whilst getting a steady stream of pocket money endorsing LA fitness – and what do you go and do? You marry the most ‘hated woman’ in the UK tabloids – Katie Price. That my friend is a PR fail. If you have any sense Mr Reid, you’ll follow the advice of Peter Andre’s hit squad PR team – Can Associates – and ditch the Price, give many heartfelt interviews about life as a single man before launching yourself as a guest presenter on This Morning.  Housewives will love you, teens will love you – in short you will be a PR success. 2010-02-03T11:31:00+00:00 http://www.theopen-road.com/index.php/blog/great_clunking_fist1/ http://www.theopen-road.com/index.php/blog/great_clunking_fist1/#When:11:59:00Z Blair was once called Bambi, so I suppose it’s natural for Brown to be Thumper, (or Thumper.) Whether he is really Mad Bad Gordon Brown wielding physical violence is not just the issue. Number 10 is one of the highest profile workplaces in the country and should show a lead on standards of professional behaviour: it should be above suspicion. Anyone concerned about workplace bullying should be aghast that these rumours can be left hanging in the air with anaemic denials. That sentiment applies equally to both physical and verbal bullying Let’s be quite clear about this; the Labour party has committed in its manifesto to the eradication of workplace bullying. The TUC, which funds the Labour party, campaigns against workplace bullying. You can even, with no trace of irony, find a petition against workplace bullying on the Number 10 website. The Labour party website expresses similar concerns. The silence you hear is the sound of hypocrisy. If there were allegations about a high-profile private sector organisation this would all be treated very differently: the Today programme investigations would have rolled out this morning, a plethora of (state funded) charities would have called for more money and no doubt it would all come back to the evil variety of capitalism created by Margaret Thatcher. Instead the liberal elite have avoided this issue entirely: they know full well that their own power and privileges are at stake. Words fail me. The ballot box won’t. 2010-02-01T11:59:00+00:00 http://www.theopen-road.com/index.php/blog/from_the_vaults/ http://www.theopen-road.com/index.php/blog/from_the_vaults/#When:14:53:00Z Rejected passage from Margaret Thatcher’s October 1979 party conference speech: ‘Morality is personal.  There is no such thing as collective conscience, collective gentleness, collective freedom.  To talk of social justice, social responsibility, a new world order, may make us feel good, but it does not absolve each of us from personal responsibility. ‘When we have succeeded with a nation of people who take personal responsibility then we shall have, and be entitled to have, The New Patriotism.’ An interesting series of thoughts.  While one may quibble about the rejection of the idea of collective freedom - surely a valid concept in some circumstances - Mrs T (or a member of her team) articulated an important truth which we have been reminded of repeatedly in the years of New Labour. The state can give us money or housing, or treatment, but never care in the true sense of the term.  Help is constrained by processes, procedures, guidelines and rules.  What we get are the nice judgements of bureaucrats, not the full-hearted desire to help that can only come from the voluntary choice of generous souls. Handing over care to the state always and inevitably that ends with the evaporation of a much more valuable commodity:  personal moral responsibility.  Or, in concrete terms, two community policemen standing by while a child drowns in a Wigan pond because ‘they hadn’t been trained in what to do.’ Mrs Thatcher had it right. 2010-01-30T14:53:00+00:00 http://www.theopen-road.com/index.php/blog/prepare/ http://www.theopen-road.com/index.php/blog/prepare/#When:17:13:00Z Prepare for the Olympic election David Cameron cannot win re-election. He knows this. After a difficult term in government it is very hard to believe that the Conservatives would have the sort of poll lead that would give them a good chance of winning a new majority. The reasons for this are the quirks of the electoral system, which, in 2005, would have given Labour 111 more seats than the Conservatives even with exactly the same share of the vote. This fact has three causes: comparative seat size, vote distribution and low turnout amongst Labour voters. The last of these factors is actually a Tory advantage, the second is something Eric Pickles is addressing in the 2010 election with improved seat targeting. The first remains a problem for the Tories. The average Conservative seat has 10% more registered voters than the average Labour seat. Labour is strong in urban areas with declining populations, but the Boundary Commission works with 8-12 year old data, so seat distribution is behind the times. This situation is getting worse: average variation in seat size has risen from 5% in the 90s to over 8% now. Word in the pubs, the pubs full of Tories in the know that is, is that the Conservatives are going to move fast on Boundary Commission reform. Suppose the Commission’s work is done in 18 months or so and Cameron has a small majority, but one set to grow by a notional 20 seats: why not go to the polls early? Labour MPs will be fighting over the reduced seat pool, the country will be on a post-Olympic high and the London mayoral elections will provide a chance to test the electorate’s mood. It will be a unique opportunity. You read it here first, but surely not last. 2010-01-29T17:13:00+00:00 http://www.theopen-road.com/index.php/blog/calais_england/ http://www.theopen-road.com/index.php/blog/calais_england/#When:08:52:00Z In an engaging publicity stunt, the local authorities in Calais have declared themselves part of Southern England, at least for the duration of the 2012 Olympic Games.  Their new Mission 2012 campaign has already apparently attracted some sports teams who don’t fancy the food and transport horrors that await them in London - and who can blame them? Calais was of course part of England until 1558 when it fell to the French.  Although the inhabitants celebrated at the time, they have spent the ensuing 500-plus years being either ignored or patronised by the Paris elite - a fact that still rankles, given the comment by one of their councillors that “We would undoubtedly have been far less [involved] in the Paris Olympic games.” But as well as attracting international sports stars and tourists, the neatness of this stunt is the warm feelings it will engender in the hearts of patriotic Brits who might add an extra trip over this summer to this little corner of France that is forever England. It gets you thinking.  What about reversing the terrible mistake of 1558?  Would the burghers of Calais be inclined to swap good food, excellent sporting and arts facilities, fast reliable trains, and cheap booze and fags for the joys of a permanent place in Brown’s Britain?  Err… Would anyoone like to start a campaign to mereg the Home Counties with the French Republic instead? 2010-01-28T08:52:00+00:00