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Webcameron

Tryphena Absent

23:37 / 30.09.06

Saturday's Guardian features an article on the front page of the news section entitled Tories unveil their secret weapon: 'webcameron'. I was a little startled by this, primarily because it's the first I've heard of it but also because it's such a startling thing to do. The site is very neat, comments like this pretty much outline the target audience as, well, us: please be aware that this site is a beta version.

So do you feel like you're being politically manipulated? That ecover bottle in his kitchen (the video currently on the front page) is definitely manipulating me. Thoughts pliz...

Our Lady Has Left the Building

08:59 / 03.10.06

I didn't mind so much him talking about how his speech at the conference went, but when it rolls round to part two where he's having a 'matey' chat with the webcameron net-meister I lost interest.

It seems no worse and no better than most other official political sites. But seeing as though the Tories around him like Oliver 'we'll completely privatise the NHS' Letwin are slowly switching to being full-time evil again it's questionable whether he's trying to cultivate young internet types, not the natural Tory constituency in order to back his plans.

11:31 / 03.10.06

It is quite interesting the Tory web rebranding, isn't it?

I suppose it will take a bit of time with Web-Cameron for the public to trust or not the authenticity of his presentation. At the moment, that Ecover bottle for example, seems horribly constructed but I suppose it if it's there every day as he washes up tea-cups after breakfast, then who knows.

Certainly the Tories seem to have stolen the lead a bit of some of those interactive technologies - Blair had his election diary online during the last campaign, I think, but it felt much more spun (unsurprisingly during an election campaign).

Interesting also the Tories online content/messages - as far as I can see the most noticeable stories/headlines on the Conservative Party homepage are "How Green Is Your Car?" and "Stop Brown's NHS Cuts".

Tryphena Absent

12:19 / 03.10.06

If it was there everyday we could monitor the rate that the liquid gets used.

13:17 / 03.10.06

Perfect, sounds like ideal Citizenship coursework.

We're The Great Old Ones Now

14:59 / 03.10.06

Well, it's interesting. I recall there was a conflict resolution specialist who used to insist on having negotiations in her home so that antagonists were constantly reminded that the stakes were personal and domestic rather than boardroom-clean. This looks like an acknowledgement of that sort of spatial/semiotic kinda thing. On the other hand, as you say, it's also marketing, and that makes me grumpy.

But... the most important thing is that I don't know whether he's got the juice. If he has policies, he's in better shape than the last lot. If not, he's dust. If his policies are intelligent (he recently said there are no simple answers to complex problems... buzzwordy but true) he's in better shape than the last lot. If they're half-arsed, he's dust. His stand (if it is one) on aviation and tax is interesting. It will probably make Labour follow suit... or not... we'll see.

The thing is, this is presentation. Now he needs something to present. Plus, you know - Tory. Not a big trust vibe going on. Not all the washing up liquid in the world will change that.

20:44 / 03.10.06

...trust, yeh. If Cameron told me the sky was blue I'd look up to check. It all reminds me of the informality that Blair tried to cultivate, back before things could only get better. He (Blair) still insists on carrying a mug around to maintain that earthy vibe. I think this is an equally cynical attempt at rebranding the Tories, the fuckers.

Tryphena Absent

23:03 / 03.10.06

If only he would tax aviation fuel! That's quite a dangerous thing to say, you could lose a huge proportion of voters and yet, if the rest of the party is making hmming noises (and they seem to be) it automatically becomes a thing of balance. "This man is an idealist with realists to temper him, let's elect the conserva... blah etc."

ONLY NICE THINGS

23:22 / 03.10.06

Except that they aren't realists - they are lunatics. That's sort of the problem.

Tryphena Absent

11:07 / 04.10.06

Well yes I know that and you know that but these are people who are elected in the UK. Presumably that part of the electorate must agree with at least the majority of the views espoused by the league of uglys who make up the tories.

12:27 / 04.10.06

Yes, and Cameron can frame his reforms in exactly the same way Tony Blair did, right? I vaguely remember John Major etc warning about the dangers of letting a left wing party back into government (posters of Tony Blair with devil eyes, etc). I'm sure Cameron would say that his new conservative party was no more likely to provide a platform for the 'traditional' right than New Labour did for the 'traditional' left.

18:01 / 04.10.06

I'm sure Cameron would say that his new conservative party was no more likely to provide a platform for the 'traditional' right than New Labour did for the 'traditional' left.

I am trying to imagine what such a creature would look like. Would they just turn into the Liberals (what ever they're calling themselves these days) or more spookily might the wheel turn full circle and we ended up with a New Tory Party more left wing than the Labour Party??!!!

18:16 / 04.10.06

might the wheel turn full circle and we ended up with a New Tory Party more left wing than the Labour Party??!!!

That was sort of what I was getting at. Or rather that the two would become even harder to distinguish. In all seriousness, I think Cameron can pull of something similar to what Tony Blair did for Labour in the 1990s. The party are so desperate for power that they will swallow their objections to Cameron's policies if he can persuade them that he's offering a serious shot at taking parliament. Seems pretty identical to the factors that led to New Labour, no? I don't see how the possibility a 'reformed' Tory party is any more or less ridiculous than a 'reformed' Labour party. After all, we're all middle class now...

Tryphena Absent

22:36 / 04.10.06

But will he be as strong a politician as Blair? He's certainly less experienced. Would he be able to slowly work the right out of the party? Blair was basically in partnership with Brown when this began and they had a very distinct vision of what they should do, is Cameron on his own or do other people in the Tory party want to move it further into the centre?

Psi-L is working in hell

22:51 / 04.10.06

I get the impression that it is a small cabal of Tory MPs who are taking the leaf out of the Blair Book of How to Win an Election, and desparately trying to pull the rest of the party centrewards.

Certainly, the reception to some of the more liberal things Cameron talked about in his speech today (and I can only recall the bit on civil partnerships specifically) got a muted round of applause from the audience, rather than a loud endorsement of the new shiny touchy feely Tory party.

23:35 / 04.10.06

Does Cameron have a Campbell?