Labour launched their election manifesto yesterday, today it was the Conservatives’ turn. These are big events for the media and core supporters for the party, with lots of speeches, videos and questions from the press. They’re obviously then used heavily in the evening news bulletins on both radio and TV.
I won’t go into detail about the manifesto contents – just head to the BBC or Sky News websites for far more information than you’d ever need to know!
No, my point with this post is to refrain from political geekery and question what relevance these manifesto launches have for the average voter, outside the Westminster and national politics loop? Sure, they say important things about the philosophy and direction of the parties concerned, but do you care? Do they matter? Or are you more concerned with what your local candidates think?
The balance of power between national and local campaigning is one of the key themes I’d like to explore as I cover this election. I think there’s a big disconnect between the two at the moment – it certainly doesn’t feel as though any of the Newbury candidates are really using their national party’s advantages to a great extent. Although maybe they’re also avoiding being tarnished with the same brush!
I’d love to hear what you think on this, and whether the manifesto launches have made any great impact on your views. As always, please get involved in the comments!