Local elections (part ii)

[caramel_betty]

Following on from my post of a few days ago, there is a wider problem with the Lib Dems. As a party, we are totally abysmal at getting messages across to the public when you scale up to a regional or national level. This is a cause of problems in the coalition, and being compounded by the coalition

Comments

[caramel_betty]

It's not a question of media strategy being able to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Absolutely, the choice of policies needs to be right - be it coalition or not, health service changes or not, tuition fee changes or not.

But - for example - say the Lib Dems decided that the right thing to do was to leave the coalition. The media descend, as do the Labour and Conservative PR machines. Are you leaving because you can't get your own way, Mr Clegg? Wouldn't they give you a second jag, Mr Huhne? Aren't you just showing that you're not a responsible party of government, Mr Alexander? First you break your word on tuition fees, then you break your word on a five-year coalition - how can anyone believe a word you say, Ms Featherstone? What now for your nuclear option, Mr Cable?

The media would tear the party apart, piece-by-piece, in full view of the public, and enjoy doing so. It could make great political viewing.

A better media strategy on the part of the Lib Dems could help to counter that - framing the debate in more favourable terms. But in both cases, the political strategy and the political choices would be the same. They absolutely need to be right - but the party can do the right thing and still be torn apart.

[amuchmoreexotic]

Sure, they need to come up with a good media strategy for when they blow up the coalition, but the problems they have at the moment are mainly down to what they've done, not how they've presented it.

I think a good strategy would just be to say that they've realised the Tory plans are too dangerous and extreme, and they can't work with them any more. Maybe they could actually cite the impact on single mothers and nurses and firefighters, rather than trying to "drive the debate" past them. Coupled with Clegg apologising and resigning, that strategy might give the Lib Dems a chance to get back in power sometime this century.