As the General Election approaches we can start to look forward to the undoubted highlight of the campaign, the release of the party manifestos. These documents are meant to tell us what we can expect the party to deliver should they be elected to form the next government. For the electorate, manifestos have lost their impact but for political communications they remain critical.
You used to go into WH Smiths and buy a copy of each manifesto. Now you can just download one for free. The only people to read them now are public affairs consultants and the media.
For many campaigning organisations though the use of a manifesto can prove a useful and effective tool. Politicians still treat the idea of manifestos as sacrosanct so organisations that develop their own manifesto have a good chance of catching the attention of political audiences.
These campaigning manifestos vary in terms of length and what they are seeking to achieve but focus on those of essentials of good political communications – a few clear messages combined with deliverable asks and a persuasive reason for action / good level of support.
But the party manifestos should not be ignored. They still provide a good summary of the positions and will form the basis of media interest and, therefore, offer opportunities for securing coverage.
The manifestos are undoubtedly often too long and are remembered as much for what they don’t do as much as what they do do. In recent memory, the best remembered are probably Labour’s 1983 manifesto or ‘the longest suicide note in history’ as it came to be known and the Lib Dem manifesto from 2010. This manifesto is remembered for its content generally but because the party subsequently broke the promise it made to ‘scrap unfair tuition fees for all students taking their first degree. Nick Clegg’s eventual apology for breaking the promise led to parody ‘Apology Song’ surely one of the finest pieces of recent political satire.
For those looking to engage with political audiences, the manifestos remain important.
- They provide policy commitments as well as a sense of direction for each of the parties – this needs to be the starting point for any engagement. ‘What does the manifesto say?’ should be one of the first questions you ask before engaging.
- If you are in the manifesto then that is only the start – your policy or position may feature and that is obviously an excellent starting point but it should be viewed as only that – a starting point. The hard work comes in ensuring that it turns into an outcome should that party enter government.
- If you are not in the manifesto then what does it mean? – that, in part at least, depends on what is said in the manifesto. Is it literally nothing? Are you ruled out? It could mean you need to broaden the base of your support and work with others. It could mean making some political points and going for a more high-profile media approach.
- What you do during the election – what is said in the manifestos needs to inform your strategy for the rest of the election period, at least. If you are seen to ignore the main policy statements of each of the parties then you will look ill-formed at best.
- Decide what to do post-election – the manifestos should form part of your post-election strategy. This could be particularly crucial in the event of a Coalition. Is yours a ‘red line’ issue if it was included in any of the manifestos? Is it potentially an issue that could help bind potential partners together?
The manifestos remain a way of holding the parties to account. The Lib Dems may yet come to regret their change of position on tuition fees especially in university towns where they have been strong in recent years. So to claim that they are no longer relevant politically is wrong. In fact the Lib Dem decision may have had the reverse effect and actually made them more important again.
Undoubtedly though the manifestos remain important documents for anyone engaging with government. They need to be read and their implications considered. Failure to do so will only weaken a campaign.