Lib Dem conference - what comms next?
September 23rd, 2009 by Jon Clements
As the Liberal Democrats’ annual party conference in Bournemouth enters its final day, PR Media Blog talks to Mark Pack, the party’s ex-head of innovations and blogger at www.libdemvoice.org about the communications challenges facing Westminster’s “Third Party”.
PR Media Blog: What do you see as the Lib Dems’ overarching approach to communications in advance of the next election?
Mark Pack: It’s about offering change by juxtaposing the party with both Labour and the Tories. With the latter it’s about showing how the Lib Dems are different in achieving social justice and championing investment in green industries. Also, it’s Nick Clegg’s first election as party leader which provides a communications opportunity. Equally, it’s also about how we convert into real votes those people who say they’d vote for the Lib Dems if they were sure of them winning.
PRMB: In Vince Cable you have a highly credible spokesperson who can speak convincingly on complex economic issues. But the opinions of “on the ground” activists have been called “fuzzy”. How can you close that communications gap?
MP: The economy has changed so much and so rapidly in the past two years which makes it a lot more difficult to set out your stall and stick to it. At this point it’s only possible to talk about broad principles but as the election nears there will be clear policies that will be understood throughout the party.
PRMB: How can you maintain commitment at grass roots level when the party is unlikely to win or become the principal opposition at the next election?
MP: We need them to understand that there is still a lot they can achieve without having a Liberal Democrat prime minister which means getting involved with local councillors and the devolved assemblies. Issues, such as the Gurkhas, showed how being part of the Lib Dems could give people the chance to have an impact on public policy.
PRMB: Following the Obama experience in the USA, how big a part are digital communications playing for Lib Dem strategy in the run-up to the next election?
MP: The lessons learned from the US elections are about how to energise local campaigning, which sits well with the Lib Dem approach. In real terms, the digital revolution for politics in Britain has been felt in the less exciting and more logistical end operating behind the scenes. In future, people power online in the UK is more likely to be felt in engagement with public policy, such as the success of websites like “They Work for You”, than in electioneering.
Nevertheless, the online sphere is something that’s relied on locally more and more, with local MPs having significant numbers of people on their email lists which can equate to the quantity of votes needed to win in an election. That aside, there’s still a place for knocking on doors and making telephone calls.
PRMB: Nick Clegg responded to David Cameron’s claim that there was “barely a cigarette paper” between his party and the Lib Dems in certain areas by calling him a “con man”. Are Lib Dems’ communications tactics about to get nastier and more personal?
MP: Along with the next election being about judgement and instinct, it can’t avoid also being a personal discussion about leaders and their teams.
Tags: Lib Dem communications, Lib Dem conference, Lib Dems, Liberal Democrats, Mark Pack, Nick Clegg, online campaigning, online politics, Vince Cable
