« Home

Home » Politics » Kavanagh et al: British Politics 5e » Student resources » Political commentary » The Conservative Party on the Web

Kavanagh et al: British Politics 5e

The Conservative Party on the Web

Historically, the Conservative Party was regarded as the earliest and most skilful adopter of new techniques of political communication. For example, the Conservatives were widely held to have won an early mastery of the art of making party political broadcasts on TV. Similarly, Margaret Thatcher's use of image-makers, staged photo-opportunities and the robust approach her governments developed in respect of the media arguably heralded the emergence of the modern era of 'spin'.

Latterly however, it is the Labour Party which through the 'spin doctors' such as Alastair Campbell, practices of 'rapid-rebuttal' and the assiduous management (some would claim bullying) of journalists that seems to have won the ascendancy in respect of political communication.

In recent months however, the Conservative Party under the leadership of David Cameron has rediscovered its pioneering spirit in this respect. At the end of September 2006 the party unveiled 'Webcameron' (www.webcameron.org.uk) a video blogging site which features regular video messages from the Conservative leader and other members of the Shadow Cabinet. At the end of November 2006 this was supplemented by the launch of 'Sort-It' (sort-it.co.uk/) a site which focused on the problem of personal debt.

These initiatives have not been without controversy though. The Labour MP, Sion Simon, posted a 'satirical' riposte to 'Webcameron' on the video-sharing website YouTube. In it he posed as 'Dave' and invited viewers to take the Conservative leader's children away. The UK Independence Party also sought to capitalise, registering the domain www.webcameron.info/ and posting satirical videos of the Conservative leader from the opposite end of the political spectrum to Simon.

The controversy surrounding the party's 'Sort-It' site was of a different order. The provocative references to and slick movie focusing on "the inner tosser" who tempts young people into unsustainable consumption prompted a predictable response from John Prescott at Prime Minister's Questions. However, what was perhaps more significant was that the site does not, on first sight, appear overtly political or draw attention to its sponsors and creators. The unsuspecting might understandably fail to notice the small copyright attribution to the Conservative Party and few will presumably take the time to click on the link which provides a fuller disclaimer. Once the partisan purposes of the website are noted however some visitors might begin to wonder whether the postings on the site of those mired in debt are genuine or the invention of the advertising agency behind the campaign.

In many respects, these and other initiatives on the web raise more questions than answers. It is unclear whether these initiatives represent an ephemeral gimmick or whether they will mark the arrival of online electioneering in Britain in a meaningful form. Even if such initiatives do herald the accommodation of Britain's political parties to the internet, larger questions as to the influence of this new medium upon political attitudes and behaviour of voters are likely to prove as difficult to resolve as they have done in respect of more established and traditional forms of political communication.

Critical thinking questions

1) What objectives do you think the Conservative Party has had in establishing sites such as 'Webcameron' and 'Sort-It'?

2) How effective do you think such sites are likely to be in realising these ambitions and aims?

3) Imagine that you are an advisor to the Labour Party or the Liberal Democrats, what strategy would you propose to respond to these Conservative Party initiatives?

4) Do you think that such sites as 'Webcameron' and 'Sort-It' mark a transformation in the way that British politics is conducted?