Paddy's MoreUnited lesson from non league football

Paddy Ashdown - along with several other Westminster luvvies - have launched MoreUnited a 'new movement setting out to change British politics'.  Using the power of the internet and social media it will crowd fund and provide volunteers for certain candidates that agree with its rather fuzzy centrist -yet progressive - values.

Caron Lindsay on Lib Dem Voice asks some pertinent questions about this project which Paddy and his ilk need to answer quite quickly if many Lib Dems aren't to think this is just a vanity project for an out of touch elite trying to 'get with it'.

But there are also some very interesting parallels with another crowd sourcing project that set out on a similar change prospectus.  That was MyFootballClub - complete with the same annoying mid compound word capitalisation. 

In November 2007 MyFootballClub - which had recruited 32,000 online members - took over Conference side Ebbsfleet United with the stated aim of transferring decision making from the traditional management to its membership.  Teams would be chosen by an on-line vote and transfer and financial deals were similarly subject to crowd sourcing.

Wikipedia reports, however, when the membership came up for renewal people lost interest with just 9,500 renewing for a second year and by 2010, just 3,500 were left and the club was relegated from the conference.  Although they were promoted back to the conference the following season, by 2013 MyFC had sold up to actual supporters of Ebbsfleet. The 950 current remaining members now sponsor Slough Town FC.

The Ryder Cup lesson for Clegg?

With Europe's last minute come back from the dead to win the Ryder Cup one cannot help thinking perhaps it's not Paddy Ashdown Clegg needs to captain his 2015 election campaign team - it's José María Olazábal...

Clegg supporters' circle the wagons

Matthew Oakeshott's sensible advice in the Grauniad that the Lib Dems should look at 'strategy and management' in trying to turn round their dire poll ratings has been seized on as a call for a new leader.  Cable loyalist Oakeshott may well have intended it to be so, but it shouldn't be the case.

Sadly, the reaction from Clegg's spin doctors and advisors - wheeling out Paddy Ashdown, Simon Hughes and Tim Farron in his support - made Oakeshott's case for him.

It goes without saying that a change of strategy is needed.  The constant relaunches of Clegg and policy flip flops, forced 'differentiation' with the Tories and kite flying have all the hallmarks of the dying days of the Brown administration.

It's this PR led search for publicity that has so called 'cut-through' - getting into people's non-short term memories - that is the problem - not the solution.  'Alarm clock Britain' may well have delighted the youthful PR types who make up the bulk of Clegg's advisers as it had 'cut through' - but it only did so because it was ugly, ludicrous and confirmed everything a now sceptical audience thought about Clegg's political naievity.

Successful political campaigns aren't built on a day's or a week's or even a month's media coverage - they are built over time on consistent values and messaging.  Clegg's problem is that in trying to turn his image around he is constantly shifting further and further away from the things that made him attractive to people in the spring of 2010.

So Oakeshott is right - those who advise Clegg have failed to understand the basic necessities of political campaign management.  They have no strategy for government and seemingly no idea how to turn things around.

As they say in the wonderful world of Scottish football - Clegg's 'coat is on a shoogly peg'.  But in my view he clearly has the talent and ability to turn it around.  The question however is does he have the political nouce to understand that spin and PR are part of the problem and the political kahunas to do something about it?

Lib Dem membership slumps

Mark Pack reports the Liberal Democrats membership has slumped to less than 50,000.  Twenty years ago it was 100,000 - I remember the press release of Paddy Ashdown announcing in the run up to the 1992 general election the landmark recruit conveniently in the key seat of Bath.  Which entirely coincidently was won a few weeks later by Don Foster - defeating then Tory Chairman Chris Patten.

There is no gloss that can be put on this - and Mark's valient attempt to deflect attention onto the Tories is a misplaced attempt at loyalty that cannot be allowed to lead to complacency. 

These figures add to the growing body of evidence that the party is dying on its feet.  Over the last two years its councillor base has been hollowed out, it has all but dissapeared in Scotland and the northern cities, it has started spending more than it receives in income and its poll ratings still face south. 

Yet the party at Westminster appears to be unconcerned by this collapse.  I wrote on 7 May the party faces a fight for its very existence.  Sadly it is now clear it is a fight it faces with hugely depleted troops. 

One has to wonder at what point do the powers that be at Westminster wake up?