The new working Tory slogan bears striking similarity to Barack Obama's "Change we can believe in"
Posted on 03/14/2008 7:37:58 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
The Conservatives have been told to establish the theme 'Change You Can Trust' in the run-up to the next election - echoing Barack Obama's successful presidential campaign message.
A leaked note of a presentation given to Tories earlier this month also reveals that senior strategists believe winning the London mayoral elections is "vitally important" to the party's fortunes.
The new working Tory slogan bears striking similarity to Barack Obama's "Change we can believe in"
It also details Mr Cameron's problem in attracting voters among young families.
The "key objectives for 2008", the Telegraph can reveal are:
• Establish the theme "Change You Can Trust".
• Improve the party's credibility amongst families as polling has shown that people move away from the Conservatives when they have children.
• Win the London mayor race and increase the share of the Conservative vote in the Greater London Authority.
• Increase support in the north.
• Establish the Tories as the party of economic competence.
• Demonstrate that they are ready to govern.
• Be consistently 10 points ahead in the opinion polls by the end of the year.
The presentation was given by James O'Shaughnessy, Conservative Central Office's director of research and policy.
He was drafted back into the party last September to take a key role in Mr Cameron's policy team and he regularly briefs the party's senior figures.
He told the group of party members at the Conservative Councillors' Association that the party was working on the basis that the election would be next year.
It is the first time the extent of Tory ambitions for this year has been exposed.
Boris Johnson, who is leading in the opinion polls in London, is tasked with ensuring a Conservative win in the one high-profile election of the year.
Mr O'Shaughnessy was adamant that it is vital that gains in London and other local elections are needed as a springboard to success next year. And the new working Tory slogan – Change You Can Trust – bears striking similarity to Mr Obama's "Change we can believe in".
The Democrat is close to seizing his party's nomination despite trailing in the polls for many months last year.
The Obama phenomenon has attracted keen interest at Westminster. Last year Gordon Brown was accused of lifting large chunks of his conference speech, written in part by his American aide Bob Schrum, from addresses by Bill Clinton and Al Gore.
Last night a senior Tory source denied that the party would use the 'Change You Can Trust' theme as an election slogan. He said: "Our two messages are 'Time for a change' and 'You can get it if you really want.' There are no plans to change those and the second of those was obviously the key thrust of our advertising campaign that was launched two weeks ago."
But the acknowledgement that the party has a problem in attracting "credibility" among families is worrying.
Private polling has shown that once people have children they tend to move away form the Conservatives.
Today Mr Cameron, who is in Gateshead for the party's spring conference, will try to appeal to families by unveiling plans for more flexible working for parents.
Last night he said: "I want to make this country more family friendly. We're not going to solve any of the problems of obesity, of drugs, of alcohol, of educational under performance unless we help families to do the great work they do."
He added: "Let's let people chose. We have to ask ourselves, are we serious about making this country more family flexible? And I am."
Tory insiders say polling has always showed that there are problems with attracting young families to vote Conservative. And in a bid to address the problem of sparse support in the north, shadow cabinet ministers are fanning out across Northern England to try and get the Conservative message across.
The Tory source also said that the party leadership had not established a 10-point poll lead as the minimum requirement by the end of the year.
Osama! Obama! He’ll make Big Gov yo’ Momma!
Obama’s slogan ought to be “Change that changes when the winds change direction.”
You'd better count your change!
So can the Tories unseat Labour? What’s the current numeric majority?
That or “Change is all you’ll have left.”
Change that’s deranged.
chump change.
Given recent developments, they might want to rethink using any slogans connected with Obama.
Besides, you can call Bush a monkey, but if you say it to a "black" man, it's racism.
Bob Schrum is advising Gordon Brown. This can only mean the Tories will win, probably in a landslide.
Bob Schrum is advising Gordon Brown. This can only mean the Tories will win, probably in a landslide.
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