Surfing the Media

The Polly Toynbee and Tosser inside issues this week are both examples of how the Conservative Party has learnt to effectively ride the currents of the media to get the coverage they need.

Firstly by invoking Polly Toynbee a discussion on the need to address and recognise that relative poverty as as well as absolute poverty is a a serious problem was initiated.

This has been the considered view of the leadership for some time. Oliver Letwin made the point some months back, so has Iain Duncan Smith. Both are senior Conservatives but did it hit the headlines, no. Why? Because poverty isn't sexy and it's certainly not an issue that fits into the mindset of journalists when writing about the Conservatives. When Greg Clark,(pic on left) who has no national profile invoked Ms Toynbee though it did the trick. Why? Because doing so was provocative and more importantly fed the journalists an angle.

The Tosser inside story is another example. The London Metro newspaper had it as its main page 3 story. Why? Because of the angle, because of the language and because it gave them something that there readers could be amused by. George Osbourne could have made a worthy and interesting speech. It would not have been reported though, and in politics that counts. That both these stories have come in the same week suggests they may have been more successful than anticipated, that however is a good thing.