“The very stuff that makes life worth living”

Or why “Long-Term Economic Plan” message discipline isn’t enough….

To repeat that grossly (and slightly wrongly) over-quoted mantra from Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign, “It’s the economy, stupid.”

Bill (or rather his campaign strategist, James Carville) was right. The economy has been, and always will be, the vital consideration for voters. We make decisions every day about how to save that extra bit of cash or maximise our incomes. Inevitably, some of that thinking spills over into our voting intentions.

Despite Britain recently posting its biggest budget surplus since before the 2008 crisis, the Government is set to borrow around £90bn this financial year to bridge the gap between tax income and public services spending. The UK’s debt pile now stands at £1.46 trillion, or 79.6% of GDP.

Britain will be stuck in a low growth trap unless we tackle this unsustainable deficit and debt, and bring public spending under control. Any deviation from Tory deficit reduction plans would be disastrous for this country’s long-term growth prospects.

And yet, sober economic rhetoric will only get a political party so far. The constant string of positive economic data and employment figures gets obscured by the turgid way in which it is put across to the public. The way Conservative backbenchers bray every time the slogan ‘Long Term Economic Plan’ is bandied about may boost spirits in the parliamentary party, but to the audience at home it raises questions about just how seriously the economic challenges are being taken. On top of this, journalists are now plain bored with stories about the economy (many of them just don’t do numbers….).

There is a danger that the vital economic messages are getting lost in this slough of indifference. The Conservatives are great at saying what the problem is and how to fix it. We need to also explain why it matters to the man, woman and child in the street.

The Better Together campaign experienced a similar problem in the run-up to the Scottish independence referendum last year. That campaign, led by Alistair Darling, easily had the stronger economic arguments. Yet those arguments were too often framed on a national scale, rather than tailored to the individual. It’s difficult to speak with passion when you are talking about objects and institutions rather than people.

At a recent Tory Reform Group event in Westminster, George Freeman MP outlined brilliantly the way in which Conservatives should be talking about economic policy. Terms like deficit reduction, balancing the books, and financial prudence are not going to inspire people. But if we talk about why these things matter – the impact on the NHS, education, and the prospects for our children and grandchildren – then we will be making the crucial connection between the national finances and household finances.

In January, David Cameron spoke of how the “very stuff that makes life worth living” would be put at risk if Britain fails to balance the books. Our children would suffer with the legacy of our debts, they would have fewer opportunities than we have, and a reduced standard of living.

Yet much of the current economic narrative remains too remote and abstract. That needs to change.