"Winning elections is easy. All you have to is keep your own supporters and find others."
Grant Shapps MP, GMTV Sunday Programme
Thank you very much and goodnight...
UPDATE: Someone in the Comments seems to have interpreted this as me taking a pot-shot at Grant. Not at all! I thought it was a brilliant summation of what it takes! Grant is a fantastic campaigner, as he proved at the last election.
11 comments:
Very much true!
It's the execution which is difficult (which I admit he has done quite well)
Except it really isnt true. The Lib Dems could keep all their supporters AND find others and they wouldn't win a Gen Election.
In a constituency basis of winning an election is getting 1 more vote than your opponent - simple as that. You could both lose support and still win.
zIain,
Grant is a top notch campaigner, and his majority is likely to rocket up come the next election. People in Welwyn Hatfield have a lot of respect for him, regardless of their political persuassion. It seems a bit unfair to take potshots at him over a single comment on GMTV.
His website is also top notch, and a lot of PPCs could learn a lot from it.
Sorry Iain, it's been a long day and I misinterpretted your comments
His website uses the new standard Content Management System that lots of associations are using. It looks awful. How long is that page?
I'm sure the content's fine, if that's what you mean.
Much respect for an MP who is going places. Have seen him in action, very impressive.
machiavelli,
The best feature on Grant's website is undoubtedly the forums on which he corresponds with constituents.
He also has a lot of his own material on there, instead of the usual Party Press Releases and campaign buttons.
I must admit though, that the layout is much to be desired.
I'll check out the forum... They're great if they're used (and properly), but the problem with many aspects of Internet concepts being used by politicians is that they just don't 'get' them or see them through properly.
Take Facebook, for example. I suspect lots of politicians don't really know what they're doing- it's just something to 'keep up with', that they'll never really maintain properly and is open to abuse if they're not careful. They need to look at why they're using a particular idea (if they even need it) and then ensure it's done properly.
So dismissing 70% of your membership and supporters by saying that "I have an uncompromising message to those who think they can perpetuate a pointless debate about grammar schools: We will never be taken seriously by parents and convince them we share their aspirations if we splash around in the shallow end of the education debate" is just plain stupid.
Introducing: Cameron's Kamikaze Conservatives. An object lesson in how not to keep your own supporters, not find others and not win the next General Election.
Funny. Very funny.
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