Localist politics - the art of engagement

We have to ask the question not how do we win the vote, but how do we win the hearts and minds? National political parties can broadcast at voters as much as they like, but if the voter has switched the mute button on then it is either completely useless or anything the voter does hear is interpreted as reinforcing their own previously held views.

We believe the solution to this dilemma is not for even more sophisticated messaging done from the centre but a different form of doing politics altogether - first engaging activists and then voters, rather than traditional and hierarchical models of leadership. But this means we must change the way we communicate, and recognise the key role councillors can play with this.

This means we must treat councillors as a scarce resource: empowering them but also having high expectations of results - and using every modern method of communication available, to move from push communications (the publishing model) to conversations (the social media model).