Newington's Lizzy Roberts looks at the art of manifesto drafting, and what it means for political engagement.
Those in the public affairs world wishing to engage in the manifesto drafting process should bear in mind Ed Miliband’s ill-judged two tonne election pledge stone of 2015. With all the subtlety of a brick to the face, the stunt was meant to hit home that Labour’s pledges would not be broken. This paranoia is something that all party leaders will be conscious of when signing-off their party’s manifesto and this should also be at the forefront of arguments public affairs professionals present to those they’d like to convince.
The ghost of broken promises will weigh heavily on both the Lib Dems, only just emerging from the tuition fee debacle, and the Conservatives, who have been burnt by a number of recent attempts to U-turn on manifesto pledges (see last month’s National Insurance turn around). However, the snap election means that drafters who would usually spend up to a year meticulously scrutinising potential manifesto positions, could have only three weeks to come up with the positions supposed to indicate what their party would achieve in Government. As such, they will be looking for quick and easy ideas that reflect strong, coherent, simple policies that won’t inadvertently isolate swathes of the electorate or key seats.
Simplicity, agreeability and applicability are three things that those wishing to convince policy makers should bear in mind. With such a quick turnaround, drafters will be sceptical of anything that is too complex or difficult to communicate in such a short timeframe. Identifying the right approach to take when making these communications is key. For instance, if a policy that was controversial in the last manifesto looks like it might re-emerge, it may be worth emphasising that this controversy will not go away if resubmitted. Conversely, if a policy announcement in 2015 was great for your sector or business, it’s worth re-stating the benefit that this policy will generate and floating the idea that it’s an easy, simple win in 2017.
The most difficult challenge will be seeking something brand new in the 2017 set of manifestos, this is the riskiest to take on at short notice, so any arguments made need to be backed up with the evidence to reassure policymakers that this won’t cause a storm that will detract from the key party lines and muddy the campaign narrative.
With such a short time frame to generate change, understanding who to communicate your evidence to will be vital in making your case in the time needed. Those drafting the manifestos have already been highlighted by the press and there are teams behind each party that will need to be convinced. Outlining the value of proposed policies to the electorate and constituents will go some way to ensuring they’re written in stone….that is, until the next election.
If you want to know more about how your campaign is affected by the regulated period ahead of the election, join our conference call with Newington Managing Director Naomi Harris and Associate Director Chris White on Wednesday 3 May at 13.00. Email [email protected] for dial in details. We’ll also be hosting a debrief on the manifestos on Tuesday 16 May at 13.00.