Cameron’s New Year resolution: a manifesto

(c) Land of Hope and Glory

It’s often been commented that whilst there is widespread dislike of the government, David Cameron hasn’t emulated Tony Blair’s success in making the Opposition really popular. A hung parliament remains a possibility and the Conservative’s lead in the polls has been reduced to 10%.

The Conservatives hope to recapture that momentum by publishing a draft election manifesto on 4 January 2010. It will outline the Conservative ambitions for government. A separate document, seeking to reassure the voters that the NHS is safe in the Conservatives’ hands will also be published. The Shadow Cabinet has been briefed by Andy Coulson, the Director of Communications, to give their briefs a fresh perspective in order to generate the desired media coverage in New Year.

The manifesto sounds similar to the five pledges card that Labour published in the 1997 and 2001 General Elections. With rumours that Gordon Brown has ordered Labour to prepare for a snap election any time in the New Year, possibly for 25 March, the document is timely. Cameron has said he would welcome a March election, telling The Sun: “We really need to get on with this, so I hope the election can come as early in the New Year as possible. We’re clearing manifestos. We have a very strong team plus the right ideas and we’re absolutely ready to serve.”

The public certainly will have an opportunity to decide whether that is the case when the draft manifesto is published. Although they wouldn’t be reassured when one insider from Conservative central office was quoted as saying it was produced whilst the leadership was in “a sense of panic.” Furthermore, there is a danger that Brown could decide to hold out as long as possible to erode the possibility of a Conservative majority. The voters could develop election fatigue.

Whatever happens, the Tories have got some explaining to do to avoid the accusation that they haven’t thought certain policies through in an economic climate as inauspicious as this.