He will be remembered as the man who published a book accusing David Cameron of doing something unspeakable. But it is Lord Ashcroft’s post 2005 election report Smell The Coffee: A wake-up call for the Conservative Party which is worth revisiting now as we see the Labour Party battling over what it should be doing to shape its future over the coming years.
Much has been written about why elections are won and lost, but the central recommendations from “Smell the Coffee” stand up well for any party looking to win a general election. Most importantly, these conclusions were formed on the basis of making the party electable again, not pushing a right or left agenda
- A party must target their scarce resources at people who are more likely to vote in places which are more likely to decide elections.
- A party must campaign hardest on the things that matter most to people, rather than things they hope can be made to matter.
- There are number of parties competing for voters. It should never be assumed that one party’s unpopularity directly translates into support one other single party.
- A party must not simply indulge the instincts of its core voters. The core is, by definition, not big enough to win an election on its own. By endorsing their views and tactics (e.g. classist, inverse-snobbery) too strongly a party risks alienating wider sections of the public that are needed for electoral success.
- There are a number of different types of voters that must be brought together under the umbrella one party’s support. They are likely to have some diverging interests but it is the managing of your loyalists with the persuadables that is key to avoiding become an unelectable rump.
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