Marketing: all that's left

Matthew Parris is, as ever, excellent on the dangers of marketing politicians as if they were brands of toothpaste.
What he doesn't say, though, is that striking the poses advised by marketing men is pretty much the only strategy the main parties have left.
They can't distinguish themselves from each other, as they used, to by representing different classes. The big class divide in party politics (though not elsewhere) is now that between the political class - Tories, Labour and the MSM - and the rest of us.
Nor can they distinguish themselves by philosophical positions, such as equality vs liberty. The political class has long lost the ability to argue for philosophical or ethical principles.
It claims this is a welcome development, that ideology has been supplanted by a hard-headed "realism": as Blair said, "what matters is what works."
Even here, though, the parties can't distinguish themselves. In neither party are there many individuals who can point to a proven track record of success in managing government departments, agencies, companies, regiments or whatever.
All they have left, then, is vapid marketing and the rhetoric of managerialism.
Except that in politics this is even more vacuous than it is in companies. At least the latter - albeit much more rarely than bosses claim - can sometimes point to actual achievement.   
The difference between marketing toothpaste and marketing politicians is that toothpaste succeeds in cleaning our teeth.

Comments

[Blissex]

«They can't distinguish themselves from each other, as they used, to by representing different classes.»

«Nor can they distinguish themselves by philosophical positions, such as equality vs liberty. The political class has long lost the ability to argue for philosophical or ethical principles.»

But this just reflects the electorate: just about every voter is a middle class middle aged asset owner. 70% of voters own homes, nearly all own cars etc.; and the rich and super-rich minority get what they want other than by voting.

USA style ''triangulation'' and UK style ''new labour'' are the recognition that the electorate is much more homogeneous (and rightist) than when landlords were a tiny minority and there were sharp differences between blue collar, white collar and bosses.

Even worse, as Blair and others understood so well, the number of retired rentiers is only set to go up and up, and they form a powerful block of uniformity.

All these fully vested voters want is the same things, secure neighbourhood, safe savings, ever rising asset prices, and low wages.

[dearieme]

And some toothpaste has at least the appearance of a backbone.

[jameshigham]

...What he doesn't say, though, is that striking the poses advised by marketing men is pretty much the only strategy the main parties have left...

This is brilliant, Chris, apart from the little managerialist dig you had to get in.

[EMPATRYWAYHOTT]

The watch was entirely hard, his latino brown distraction fulfilling for some attention. First scene: bollywood sex videos and Max invigorate in a car.