Eddie Barnes - David Cameron's masochism strategy
An interesting insight into the likely style of the coming election campaign has emerged in the last couple of days. Viewers of the Ten O'Clock news last night may have seen David Cameron being getting a rough time of it during a visit to apprentices in Lewisham yesterday. One young bloke began heckling Cameron, before piping up a line that could have been dreamt up in Labour HQ, wanting to know why the country should try out someone untried like Cameron, when what they needed was experience.
Homus Spindoctorus (1997 version) would, of course, have done his best to try and crush the tape of this before it came out of the camera. But the 2010 Tory team have done the exact opposite. The heckling can now be seen on YouTube, uploaded by the Conservatives themselves. It is reported they are hoping that the video will go viral. So what's going on?
This is basically a mutation of Tony Blair's masochism strategy, when the Prime Minister deliberately threw himself in front of the public's bullets in the hope of soaking up their fury post-Iraq. Now that we're all so fed up of spin and presentation, the new spin isanti-spin. It looks like, in this election, it is going to take the form of un-cut, potentially embarrassing, but very 'real' incidents along the campaign trail. The calculation will be that while the leader may well get caught out, they will at least (a) be noticed by a disaffected watching public who turn the TV off when politics comes on and (b) get plaudits from the same people for simply engaging in the first place. Sitting up from the sofa, Mr Swing Voter may well turn to Mrs Swing Voter and nod that "at least he has the guts to take it on the chin". The internet becomes the perfect medium for this to spread. Viral video clips spread word of mouth, and are something we actively decide to watch, so the impact it has on us is more substantial than something broadcast which washes over us on the box.
I'm not quite suggesting that Central Office wants Cameron to get hit by eggs and custard tarts over the next few weeks, but when we punters are in such a sour mood, distrusting anything that politicians say, perhaps the only thing that will make us connect with a politician is if he is subjected to an unprovoked bit of the verbals from a fellow member of the great unwashed. This is particularly the case for Old Etonian David Cameron as he attempts to show that he's just like one of us. You never know, it might even seal the deal.
Homus Spindoctorus (1997 version) would, of course, have done his best to try and crush the tape of this before it came out of the camera. But the 2010 Tory team have done the exact opposite. The heckling can now be seen on YouTube, uploaded by the Conservatives themselves. It is reported they are hoping that the video will go viral. So what's going on?
This is basically a mutation of Tony Blair's masochism strategy, when the Prime Minister deliberately threw himself in front of the public's bullets in the hope of soaking up their fury post-Iraq. Now that we're all so fed up of spin and presentation, the new spin isanti-spin. It looks like, in this election, it is going to take the form of un-cut, potentially embarrassing, but very 'real' incidents along the campaign trail. The calculation will be that while the leader may well get caught out, they will at least (a) be noticed by a disaffected watching public who turn the TV off when politics comes on and (b) get plaudits from the same people for simply engaging in the first place. Sitting up from the sofa, Mr Swing Voter may well turn to Mrs Swing Voter and nod that "at least he has the guts to take it on the chin". The internet becomes the perfect medium for this to spread. Viral video clips spread word of mouth, and are something we actively decide to watch, so the impact it has on us is more substantial than something broadcast which washes over us on the box.
I'm not quite suggesting that Central Office wants Cameron to get hit by eggs and custard tarts over the next few weeks, but when we punters are in such a sour mood, distrusting anything that politicians say, perhaps the only thing that will make us connect with a politician is if he is subjected to an unprovoked bit of the verbals from a fellow member of the great unwashed. This is particularly the case for Old Etonian David Cameron as he attempts to show that he's just like one of us. You never know, it might even seal the deal.
Labels: David Cameron, Eddie Barnes
posted by Administrator at
14:07
1 Comments:
"we punters"
yes, that's right, political journalists are just exactly like Mr and Mrs Swing Voter, waiting to make up their minds. Mr and Mrs Swing Voter can't believe folk just exactly like them and their neighbours are giving voice to their very thoughts on the pages of the Scotsman Steamie blog!
Presumably 20% of Scotsman journalists are not even registered to vote, in true reflection of 'us punters'.
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