Tag Archives: Elections

Yes, personal contact really does make a difference (but it needs to be targeted)

Despite the (still) prevailing orthodoxy that election strategies are a matter of well-timed policy announcements, media management and “feeding the chooks”, and focus-grouped television ads, the fact is that personal contact is the most effective way to change someone’s voting intention. A while back, I had a discussion with someone who posited that political campaigns [...]

My thoughts on a fake election campaign

We’re only a few days into the election campaign and I must confess that I’ve had discussions about the quality of the parties’ election campaign. The amateur-hour ads of the Liberals contrasts nicely with the recycled “make Melbourne history” Greens message (drowning out other candidates). Meanwhile, Labor HQ has decided inexplicably to make John Brumby [...]

How the Tories lost the unlosable election

With negotiations between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats taking place as I write, it’s worth considering why the Tories are in this invidious position. A few months ago, David Cameron and his coterie were riding high in the polls, with expectations high that Labour would be smashed at the ballot box. The rout [...]