Cameron’s political language

21 February 2007

The US pollster Frank Luntz has made a huge impact on recent British political conference seasons. Here he explains why the Tory leader is pulling ahead of the Chancellor — and what the American political scene has to teach them both

What the floating voters who attend my Instant Response sessions appreciate most about the boyish Conservative leader is his willingness to rise above ‘yaa-boo’ politics, even if some of the old guard sneer. His words champion issues for which there is scope for agreement and action, much to the irritation of Mr Brown, who was blooded in the over-heated rhetoric of the 1980s. The Environment, Darfur, the National Health Service aren’t traditional Conservative issues, but they are at the heart of Mr Cameron’s communication and dedication — and his words are astonishingly successful.

The new language of politics is founded on principled consensus and an acceptance of interdependence over ideology. The public on both sides of the Atlantic are sick of being battered from all sides by jaded hacks in expensive suits spouting the same, reheated arguments and meaningless, spun-to-death statistics. They are angry, too, because they don’t feel like they’re being listened to by politicians who place rhetoric ahead of results. Look at Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s remarkable Republican win in California against the Democratic tide which washed over America last November. A verbal U-turn from a harsh partisanship to a more conciliatory approach brought bipartisan support and a fresh mandate for ‘The Governator’.

What is the language lesson here? Good words will take you even further if they are tied to good deeds. ‘Action’ resonates with an electorate that is weary of too much talk. Today’s voters will punish their leaders for trying to score political points at the expense of getting work done. Message: reach across the divide with words and intent when there is success to be had, progress to be made and prosperity to be achieved.

Gordon Brown finally appears to recognise this. One need only look at the way he has changed his vocabulary over the past 12 months. In a much-publicised BBC interview earlier this year, he spoke of his ‘passion and prioritisation for education’. This is language straight from the lexicon of his Prime Minister. Look at the pre-Budget report in November, which contained dozens of references to David Cameron’s favourite topic, the environment. For a quarter of a century, he had mentioned this little or not at all.