Credit where credit’s due. Today’s debt campaign launch was almost perfect:
The ad is clever (although I hope we’re not spending too much on billboard placements).
The debt message is now being pursued relentlessly. David Cameron is comfortable with the message. It’s a winning message. Repeat, repeat, repeat and it will be remembered by the public.
This was much more than an ad launch. It was backed up with substance. George Osborne launched a paper – Labour’s Debt Crisis – detailing Brown’s borrowing.
It was multimedia. There was a video – two videos in fact – as well as a billboard.
There was a sense of theatre to today. It wasn’t just another Cameron speech. The hall was huge. There was music at the beginning. It was almost like an election launch.
David Cameron performed well but today was also a team effort. It was interesting after the formal event to watch a host of frontbenchers working the room – talking to journalists and invited party donors.
One thing missing: Anger. I still want to see David Cameron get angry (Baby P-style) at the waste of the Labour years. He still seems too reasonable. Too detached. What Brown has done to this country is unforgivable. Benedict Brogan disagrees with me. He sees David Cameron as "mad as hell". I’m still waiting for a fifth gear performance but today was encouraging for a partisan Conservative. Very encouraging.
PS This was the other video at the launch:
Tim Montgomerie