Tommy Birch is a Director of Strategy at Metamindz UK, local councillor, Deputy Chairman and CPF Leader at Hertsmere Conservatives.
Despite the narrative of doom peddled by the national media, the recent party conference in Manchester demonstrated a vital injection of energy and clarity. The challenge for the party now is to ensure that the renewed purpose felt in the hall translates directly to the local associations, where the true work of rebuilding trust must begin.
Across the West, traditional centre-right parties are being squeezed by populist movements that thrive not on governing records but on spectacle. Britain is no exception. Reform has risen by presenting itself as unfiltered, uncompromising, and emotionally resonant. Its strength is not in policy or excellent parliamentary record; it has little of either, but in saturation: a relentless media and social media presence, powered by sharp slogans and a single recognisable figurehead.
Reform’s calculated approach mirrors the rise of the AfD in Germany, the National Rally of Le Pen in France, and Wilders in the Netherlands. In each case, mainstream conservative parties have struggled when they attempt to fight populism on its own terrain. Outrage is cheap to manufacture; trust is not. And when trust is neglected, voters drift towards whoever seems to “speak plainly,” even if the message is hollow.
Reform has pursued what can be called a national broadcast strategy:
- A one-man show: the brand revolves almost entirely around Nigel Farage, his media profile, and his ability to command attention. We hear very little about his other MPs’ work, that is, when he doesn’t belittle them on central stages at his party rallies (his “comeback” speech before general elections comes to mind).
- Cheap amplification: provocative messaging travels quickly on platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and GB News, outpacing nuanced debate, which Farage is an expert in leveraging to mitigate the pitfalls of his frequent change of heart when it comes to actual policy.
- Emotional resonance: slogans of betrayal, anger, and “taking back control” are designed to evoke a sense of authenticity and catharsis without committing to a plan.
The result is visibility without depth. Reform is omnipresent in headlines and feeds; it allows them to gain popularity without demonstrating competence, promotes a narrative without requiring hard work in Parliament, and gets their supporters to make excuses for them, all thanks to their emotional rhetoric. Reform, however, is largely absent in local spaces where trust is built. This imbalance now gives them some strength, but over time, it will prove itself to be their Achilles’ heel.
The uncomfortable truth is that, in the years leading up to this year’s conference, the Conservative Party was lacking a unified, compelling policy platform, and this created a deep alienation among loyal activists.
Too often, party associations have been reduced to fundraising arms and election-time machines. The public viewed Conservatives as appearing only at election time, and members may feel that they are being taken advantage of. The emotional release and sense of renewed mission witnessed at conference, with many members visibly moved by Kemi Badenoch’s speech, came precisely because a clear policy blueprint was finally delivered.
Badenoch’s decisive rhetoric and policy announcements now provide that missing clarity and purpose. Her call for a stronger economy and stronger borders frames the entire platform. The commitment to abolish stamp duty on primary residences is a major, generation-defining pledge that speaks directly to the dream of property ownership. This is coupled with the Shadow Chancellor’s plan for nearly £50 billion in spending cuts, disciplined by the “Golden Economic Rule” to reduce the deficit first, finally giving associations a serious, fiscally responsible argument to deploy, not just flashy headlines, but a concrete and fully costed plan to deliver these policies.
These policies are uncompromisingly Conservative: from the vow to leave the ECHR and establish a ‘British Ice’ to regain control of our borders, to the promise to repeal the Climate Change Act, emphasising our core value of living within our means. This national clarity is the engine of renewal, but it must be paired with an equally fundamental commitment to respect and value the local volunteer.
Unlike populist media blitzes, grassroots engagement has measurable effects. Political science research is consistent on this point:
- A UK parliamentary report found that face-to-face canvassing increased turnout by 6-7 percentage points, and phone calls by 7.3 points, compared with no contact at all.
- A meta-analysis of European campaigns revealed that door-to-door canvassing increases turnout by an average of 2.5 points, with volunteer phone outreach adding nearly 2 points.
While mass marketing campaigns have their time and place, their effects are typically short-lived and have diminishing returns on voting intentions. Studies show that huge, sustained digital campaigns, even those costing nearly $9 million, increased turnout among targeted voters by a minimal 0.4 percentage points (Aggarwal et al., 2023).
Crucially, research has found that the media’s focus on spectacle, the very terrain Farage operates on, tends to foster “public cynicism and mistrust” over time, making candidates appear more self-interested and obsessed about winning and losing rather than serving the public. Definitely not the Conservative Party’s spirit or that of its leader Kemi Badenoch, as she so eloquently put it in her closing speech at conference, we are a family.
The conclusion is straightforward: direct human contact outperforms national noise; however, these commonly used practices will not be enough to rebuild trust. We must double down on our efforts in grassroots initiatives and enhance our engagement with the local community, regardless of the election cycle. Reform may be loud, but it cannot replicate the relational networks Conservatives already have through councillors, associations, and community activists.
The answer is not to mimic Reform’s provocation but to rediscover Conservative strengths: local responsibility, quiet service, and visible delivery. Ipsos surveys (2023, 2024) support this, revealing that trust in politicians is as low as 9 per cent, whereas trust in active members of the community is as high as 66 per cent. Therefore, the primary task of every association must shift from being an electoral machine to being a community anchor that serves and respects its members first.
Four principles should guide this crucial shift in focus:
- Value and Listening: Associations must begin with a focus on what members need to feel heard and respected. This means involving them in local strategy, asking their opinions on policy implementation through local CPF groups, and ensuring their dedication is consistently acknowledged, not just during election drives.
- Be Present Year-Round: Visibility must extend beyond elections; a constant, steady presence builds recognition and trust. This consistency is what the member signed up for.
- Embed in Civic Life: Conservatives should be seen alongside local charities, sports clubs, and neighbourhood groups, demonstrating shared responsibility.
- Prove Delivery: Even small wins, whether fixing a local issue or helping coordinate a community project, must be communicated back to residents regularly. This grassroots task is now to localise the party’s national platform, for example, by connecting the pledge to double funding for apprenticeships to local businesses and vocational colleges, or by translating the promise to triple stop-and-search powers into visibly safer local streets.
These are not tactical secrets; they are enduring truths of grassroots politics and membership retention. The emotional resonance of a national leader’s speech is powerful, but it is the local associations’ commitment to its people that makes that power last.
Reform’s strategy is loud but shallow: a megaphone without a foundation. It thrives on attention but struggles to deliver at the ground level.
The Conservative alternative is quiet but durable: rebuilding trust through visibility and service. It is slower, but it is stronger. Where Reform creates division, Conservatives can build cohesion. Where Reform sells anger, Conservatives can sell reliability on scale. This contrast is not aspirational, it is strategic. Populists cannot be beaten at their own game. They can only be beaten by changing the game, and as we have four years until the next general elections, this is a much better game to play.
The Conservative Party cannot afford to cede the ground of community life. National policy renewal, so clearly provided at conference, is necessary, but it is insufficient without the buy-in of the members. Trust is the real currency of politics, and it must be rebuilt by making every local volunteer feel that their contribution is the party’s highest priority.
The Conservative platform is now clear: fiscal discipline, property ownership, and stronger borders. Reform may seem to dominate headlines for now, but Conservatives dominate something far more powerful: the daily reality of people’s lives. By committing to member-first grassroots principles, the Conservatives will not only counter the rise of populism but also restore the party’s place as the natural anchor of Britain’s public life. That is the message to put forward and shout from every roof.
Tommy Birch is a Director of Strategy at Metamindz UK, local councillor, Deputy Chairman and CPF Leader at Hertsmere Conservatives.
Despite the narrative of doom peddled by the national media, the recent party conference in Manchester demonstrated a vital injection of energy and clarity. The challenge for the party now is to ensure that the renewed purpose felt in the hall translates directly to the local associations, where the true work of rebuilding trust must begin.
Across the West, traditional centre-right parties are being squeezed by populist movements that thrive not on governing records but on spectacle. Britain is no exception. Reform has risen by presenting itself as unfiltered, uncompromising, and emotionally resonant. Its strength is not in policy or excellent parliamentary record; it has little of either, but in saturation: a relentless media and social media presence, powered by sharp slogans and a single recognisable figurehead.
Reform’s calculated approach mirrors the rise of the AfD in Germany, the National Rally of Le Pen in France, and Wilders in the Netherlands. In each case, mainstream conservative parties have struggled when they attempt to fight populism on its own terrain. Outrage is cheap to manufacture; trust is not. And when trust is neglected, voters drift towards whoever seems to “speak plainly,” even if the message is hollow.
Reform has pursued what can be called a national broadcast strategy:
The result is visibility without depth. Reform is omnipresent in headlines and feeds; it allows them to gain popularity without demonstrating competence, promotes a narrative without requiring hard work in Parliament, and gets their supporters to make excuses for them, all thanks to their emotional rhetoric. Reform, however, is largely absent in local spaces where trust is built. This imbalance now gives them some strength, but over time, it will prove itself to be their Achilles’ heel.
The uncomfortable truth is that, in the years leading up to this year’s conference, the Conservative Party was lacking a unified, compelling policy platform, and this created a deep alienation among loyal activists.
Too often, party associations have been reduced to fundraising arms and election-time machines. The public viewed Conservatives as appearing only at election time, and members may feel that they are being taken advantage of. The emotional release and sense of renewed mission witnessed at conference, with many members visibly moved by Kemi Badenoch’s speech, came precisely because a clear policy blueprint was finally delivered.
Badenoch’s decisive rhetoric and policy announcements now provide that missing clarity and purpose. Her call for a stronger economy and stronger borders frames the entire platform. The commitment to abolish stamp duty on primary residences is a major, generation-defining pledge that speaks directly to the dream of property ownership. This is coupled with the Shadow Chancellor’s plan for nearly £50 billion in spending cuts, disciplined by the “Golden Economic Rule” to reduce the deficit first, finally giving associations a serious, fiscally responsible argument to deploy, not just flashy headlines, but a concrete and fully costed plan to deliver these policies.
These policies are uncompromisingly Conservative: from the vow to leave the ECHR and establish a ‘British Ice’ to regain control of our borders, to the promise to repeal the Climate Change Act, emphasising our core value of living within our means. This national clarity is the engine of renewal, but it must be paired with an equally fundamental commitment to respect and value the local volunteer.
Unlike populist media blitzes, grassroots engagement has measurable effects. Political science research is consistent on this point:
While mass marketing campaigns have their time and place, their effects are typically short-lived and have diminishing returns on voting intentions. Studies show that huge, sustained digital campaigns, even those costing nearly $9 million, increased turnout among targeted voters by a minimal 0.4 percentage points (Aggarwal et al., 2023).
Crucially, research has found that the media’s focus on spectacle, the very terrain Farage operates on, tends to foster “public cynicism and mistrust” over time, making candidates appear more self-interested and obsessed about winning and losing rather than serving the public. Definitely not the Conservative Party’s spirit or that of its leader Kemi Badenoch, as she so eloquently put it in her closing speech at conference, we are a family.
The conclusion is straightforward: direct human contact outperforms national noise; however, these commonly used practices will not be enough to rebuild trust. We must double down on our efforts in grassroots initiatives and enhance our engagement with the local community, regardless of the election cycle. Reform may be loud, but it cannot replicate the relational networks Conservatives already have through councillors, associations, and community activists.
The answer is not to mimic Reform’s provocation but to rediscover Conservative strengths: local responsibility, quiet service, and visible delivery. Ipsos surveys (2023, 2024) support this, revealing that trust in politicians is as low as 9 per cent, whereas trust in active members of the community is as high as 66 per cent. Therefore, the primary task of every association must shift from being an electoral machine to being a community anchor that serves and respects its members first.
Four principles should guide this crucial shift in focus:
These are not tactical secrets; they are enduring truths of grassroots politics and membership retention. The emotional resonance of a national leader’s speech is powerful, but it is the local associations’ commitment to its people that makes that power last.
Reform’s strategy is loud but shallow: a megaphone without a foundation. It thrives on attention but struggles to deliver at the ground level.
The Conservative alternative is quiet but durable: rebuilding trust through visibility and service. It is slower, but it is stronger. Where Reform creates division, Conservatives can build cohesion. Where Reform sells anger, Conservatives can sell reliability on scale. This contrast is not aspirational, it is strategic. Populists cannot be beaten at their own game. They can only be beaten by changing the game, and as we have four years until the next general elections, this is a much better game to play.
The Conservative Party cannot afford to cede the ground of community life. National policy renewal, so clearly provided at conference, is necessary, but it is insufficient without the buy-in of the members. Trust is the real currency of politics, and it must be rebuilt by making every local volunteer feel that their contribution is the party’s highest priority.
The Conservative platform is now clear: fiscal discipline, property ownership, and stronger borders. Reform may seem to dominate headlines for now, but Conservatives dominate something far more powerful: the daily reality of people’s lives. By committing to member-first grassroots principles, the Conservatives will not only counter the rise of populism but also restore the party’s place as the natural anchor of Britain’s public life. That is the message to put forward and shout from every roof.