Tories still arguing as polls open
The Conservative Party is facing another internal row and possibly the opening stage of a leadership challenge as the voters go to the polls in local and devolved elections.
A party strategist under William Hague, Andrew Cooper, has conducted research that suggests the Conservative Party is facing electoral meltdown because of poor policy decisions and changing perceptions.
The think tank C-Change, which is associated with Michael Portillo, has revealed the findings to shadow cabinet ministers, central office and the party spring conference in what appears to be an attempt to shock the party into a change of direction, and perhaps of leadership.
Notable among the findings is the fact that polls of young voters now show the Conservative Party as the third party, and that while support rose in the 2001 general election, this was mainly limited to areas where the Party was already strong.
Citing the 2001 election results, it noted that despite a strong rise in support in Tory controlled seats, support fell in those already held by the Liberal democrats. It also stated that the Lib Dems are enjoying a sustained period of 20 per cent poll ratings which indicates that they are consolidating after making further gains since 2001.
The report suggest that negative campaigning and the credibility gap that remains from before 1997 are behind the public’s disapproval of the party, but it also suggested that the result of this might be severe.
Claiming that a fall in Labour popularity will have little impact on support for the Conservative Party, the report suggested that the rise of the Liberal Democrats should be of great concern to party leaders, as it could conceivably see them pushed into third if trends continue.
To change the trends it called on the party to start to like modern Britain, rather than criticise social change. It then called on members to avoid preaching to the converted, and to focus on the issues that voters focus on, rather than those that the party focuses on.
Yet the timing throws up difficulties of its own. Modernisers have demanded greater respect for the diverse multicultural society that makes up modern Britain. However, the recent local election campaign has been marred by some rhetoric at local level that members of the public confused with that of the BNP.
And in a campaign event designed to turn the knife ahead of today’s council polls, Deputy Prime Minister appeared at a press conference flanked by a cardboard cut-out of Iain Duncan Smith.
The cut out mocked the Tory Leader’s claim that he could win the next general election, and John Prescott referred to him as an asset to the Labour Party, claiming that Labour hoped he would continue until the next general election.
