Aviva Total Politics 2010 Election Map

Total Politics - because knowledge is power

 

The X in-the-box factor

 

Sarah MacKinlay

 

Gordon's got the entourage, Dave's slick and Nick's got fire in his belly, but who will get the audience's vote? Sarah MacKinlay catches the three party leaders on their meet-the-people tours 

 

 

Who: Gordon Brown
What: Cabinet meeting, Southampton
Can anyone pop in? Afraid not. The event is strictly by invitation only. A range of appropriate people are invited by letter and asked to submit their questions.

 


This is the fifth event since he kicked the Cabinet tour off in Birmingham in October 2008. At each, Gordon Brown takes his full entourage out to the regions and holds a controversial (more of which later) Cabinet meeting. Cabinet is private, but a public meeting follows.

 

Ministers flank the Prime Minister as he enters the hall, in the City Terminal at Southampton's Western Docks, where the audience has gathered. They spread out and each joins the guests at one of 10 circular tables. Brown is introduced by the minister hosting the event, the Southampton Itchen MP John Denham - no doubt in an effort to give the event some razzmatazz - then the PM gives a short speech.

 

It's all supposed to be informal, yet the audience is drawn from people involved in local organisations including business, the public sector, charities, schools and youth groups, all of which are considered to play a significant part in the community.

 

Local government offices write to a crosssection of organisations, asking for their nominees. Downing Street tells us: "As part of this process, every effort is made to ensure that the people attending the event are as  representative as possible of the community".
 

In some respects the organisations represent very varied sectors of the community and their leaders, chief executives and MDs get a unique opportunity to speak directly to the minister who has responsibility for their sector, but there is no spontaneity.

 

While the event is highly managed, it appears quite informal. Ministers spend almost an hour talking to the group at their table, and the following hour is spent with the PM and his Cabinet in a Q&A session.

 

A secure zone is in place for a significant distance around the venue. Roads are closed, traffic diverted, armed police patrol the streets, security staff adorned in fluorescent orange jackets dart about efficiently. An airport-style security structure is erected in the open air and a full search is carried out on every guest.

 

The cost to Hampshire Police of all this caused some anger when the local Daily Echo reported that the force had spent £38,000. Interviewed by Total Politics after the event, the Prime Minister suggests we have entered "a new kind of politics". The old kind of politics, he explains, was about giving speeches or people just answering questions.

 

"Sometimes the answers were far longer than the questions. I think what we are trying to do is to listen to people, then take account of what people are saying, then follow it through. This is only the start of the process... Lots of new ideas emerge during the event and it's our duty as a government to look at this. It's not one-way politics this is interactive politics."

 

Interactive politics it might be, but does he follow up with Cabinet afterwards? "We take note of all the important things that can be done in this region and equally, at the same time, now we've heard the views of people here we are going to continue to consult."

 

And how has he developed those listening skills? "I hope I'm a good listener and you see that we've spent time today going round the groups talking to people as a group of half a dozen and meeting everybody individually... and then having a session where people can raise their points."

 

No 10 says that feedback from attendees has been very positive, with people welcoming the opportunity to raise important local, regional or national issues directly with the Cabinet. Despite number 10's confidence not everyone agrees. The participant member I spoke to was disappointed that she failed to receive the response she was promised - see above left.

 

 

what the audience say


Chief executive of local organisation, 40s
"The event was an opportunity to speak to ministers directly and raise concerns with them specifically about the voluntary and community sector. These included compact issues, national audit office regulations regarding end-of-year spending and the impact of the recession on the voluntary sector. It was good to hear that there would be a report following the event and any questions not answered during the day would be responded to in writing. However, it is disappointing that to date this has not happened."

 

 

 

 

Who: David Cameron
What: Cameron Direct: Colchester Town Hall, Essex
Is it another invite-only event? Not quite. The party does these events at very short notice and they are publicised locally with posters in shops, cafes and pubs and adverts on local radio and in papers. Conservative Central Office insists they are open to all.

 

 

On to visit Britain's oldest-recorded town. Founded in AD50 by the Roman Emperor Claudius, Colchester boasts a rich history and a castle built by William the Conqueror from reused Roman stone. On the face of it this is a charming place, but it's also had its share of fracas, so tonight's meeting in the grand, Baroque-style town hall is the ideal setting for a heated debate.

 

Cameron Direct targets the country's floating and first time voters and, with security at a minimum (just two police officers present when I turn up), it's already far less managed - and controversial - than the Prime Minister's events.

 

Following a short introduction by the evening's host, Jonathan Hemmings, programme controller at the radio station Heart FM, a door is flung open and a perfectly groomed Mr Cameron sweeps in, complete with microphone pack clipped neatly to his back pocket.

 

He energetically announces that this is an informal event but, like Brown's Cabinet meetings, it isn't informal at all. Clearly lots of thought, planning and effort has gone into it and the result is a well polished occasion.

 

Cameron Direct is a brand. Smart pop-up stands provide a slick backdrop and carry a logo and the snappy 'Cameron Direct' sound bite jumps out of the stand. Cameron stands strategically before this backdrop for press photographers. This man knows what he's doing.

 

This, his 28th Cameron Direct, is sharp, focused and lasts exactly 50 minutes. Drinks are laid on following the event, but the star doesn't stay. Cameron zooms out so fast that journalists don't get a chance to speak to him. He comes, struts his stuff and whizzes off. His responses are polished and wellrehearsed, but not always detailed enough.

 

One question is about the state of a local hospital, but Cameron responds with a generic answer about how proud he is of the NHS. "I'm a big fan of the NHS, we need to get rid of the endless targets."

 

However, he's generally well-briefed. When asked about Essex County Council's plan to close two poorly performing schools, he responds with some figures: "Only 45 per cent of students were getting a grade A-C at GCSE and that's not good enough".

 

This is a man preparing for power, and the audience were tough and tested him on everything. The majority of questions began: "Mr Cameron, can you tell me what you are going to do about XXX if you get into power?" Local questions, local concerns local issues. Nobody asked about expenses but he gave his view anyway. Nobody asked about Damian McBride (a hot potato when the event was held) and sleaze; nobody asked about anything that has consumed the Westminster village for so long. The issues raised were jobs, the economy, education, nuclear disarmament and immigration.

 

This is a new style of campaigning for the leader who says he embarked on it "because I was getting a bit bored with the way we did politics in this country. Normally, as a politician, you breeze into a town, give some media interviews and then breeze out. We need to spend much more time actually listening to what local people have to say, and then giving them the full replies they deserve."

 

Cameron has embraced new media, but aren't there are more efficient ways, to communicate the message? The feisty leader disagrees: "These events may be old-fashioned town hall style meetings, but I think there will always be a place for this kind of face-to-face interaction," he says. Cameron's commitment to touring the country, and his enthusiasm, cannot be disputed, but the performance was so slick that some of the conviction was lost in the glamour.

 

However, he down plays the glitz factor, insisting "there's nothing fancy about them, there's no script - it's just me and a microphone. The people who go aren't normally political animals, so these events remind me that what goes on in the Westminster bubble isn't usually what is on the minds of ordinary people." "I expect to be put on the spot with all kinds of questions, including what I think about UFOs!" he exclaims.

 

This leader is ready and prepared for you: "I'd also like to see US-style televised debates between the main party leaders, but Brown hasn't agreed to that yet," he says. Let the battle commence!

 

 

what the audience say


Claire and Sarah, first time voters
Sarah: I'm open-minded. He is quite impressive and is clearly a good public speaker. The line we use in politics class is: 'He can talk the talk but can he walk the walk?'
Claire: "Following that [his performance] he'd definitely make me vote Conservative. Why? Because it was refreshing he wasn't just saying what the people who put questions to him wanted to hear.

 

 

Who: Nick Clegg
What: Town hall meeting, Sutton civic offices, Surrey
Can we all go? Yes you can! This really was the only one where all the family and their dog could turn up. One member, accompanying her husband dipped in and out of her book to wile away the time. And they even don't mind if you come in fancy dress. One audience member was draped in the St Geroges flag and adorned a red curly wig... well it was St Georges day!

 

 

The final leg takes me to the capital or, to be precise, Sutton, which is on the edge of south west London. Sutton has a population of 180,000, two constituencies - both of which are Lib Dem - and is a thriving commuter hub.

 

The Lib Dem leader has done more meet-the-people events than the other leaders - 33. The meetings are part of Clegg's pledge, on becoming leader in December 2007, to "regularly get out of Westminster and create a new type of politics: open, accessible, and listening to people about the issues that concern them most."

 

So there is no spin, no hand-picked audiences, and no planted questions. He commands a surprisingly high attendance, at around 150-200. The event is as billed - this really is a casual affair. Clegg turns up, is introduced by the sitting MP (in this instance Paul Burstow) and simply answers questions.

 

There are no props, fancy lighting, an entourage milling about looking incredibly busy, pop-up stands, notes or microphones. Speaking to him earlier he is relaxed, prepared but hungry. His assistant promises him a sandwich before he struts his stuff later.

 

Confident that hunger pangs are sorted he goes on to discuss animatedly why he holds these events. He has self-confessed "fire in his belly", he's passionate and convincing. So why does he do these events? "People have become really quite alarmed at the idea that they can't hold politicians to account," he says.

 

There is one issue that comes up time and time again which he says still hasn't been given the attention it deserves by the political elite in Westminster and that is the problem of the Post Office. "It is impossible to  exaggerate how offended people feel that when their local playing fields have gone, their local shop's gone, their local pub's gone, life has been homogenised, they've got exactly the same high street as everybody else, that even then this wretched government should take away their Post Office."

 

The questions put to him are surprisingly prickly considering he is the leader of the third party. It is a test of his passion though, and he doesn't disappoint.


 

He is asked: "I just want to know how you are going to become more of a public figure?" The fire builds as he responds: "This week I've been on every weekday television news programme watched by millions of people, I've been speaking about the budget, trying to give people tax cuts, speaking about MPs and an expenses system which is rotten to the core.

 

"You say I'm on tour round the country, well don't pooh pooh that".

 

The questioner attempts to clarify, saying: "I'm not" but Clegg keeps rolling: "No hang on let me explain..." And he goes on for another four or five sentences explaining that huge numbers of people get their information from their local radio station, from local television, from regional newspapers, and that they trust what they see in their local news media.

 

He appears offended and slightly bruised and the audience feels a little uncomfortable. Unperturbed, he's straight on to the next question; focused, fire firmly in belly - probably forgetting about the angry exchange he's just had.

 

 

what the audience say


Husband and wife Lib Dem supporters, 60s
"I am a Lib Dem supporter, but he makes stupid remarks - like when he told [Piers] Morgan that he'd slept with 30 women. The problem is that Parliament is a rather unforgiving place. I'm undecided about him - as a politician I think Vince Cable is more convincing, he has shone economically. "The best he can hope for is to hold the balance of power at the next election, and if there is a hung Parliament I think he'd be there."