There are a couple of interesting hints about Labour’s strategy going into the 2015 general election in the Independent today. Andrew Grice secured what appears to have been a much-interrupted interview with Ed Miliband on a train to Carlisle, and the Labour leader was keen to put the focus on Labour’s efforts at community organising and grassroots campaigning.
Miliband said:
It’s not just about winning elections… It’s about constructing a real political movement. It’s a change from machine politics to grassroots politics.
A seemingly bland bit of politician-speak, but Labour are also investing cash in this strategy – as Grice points out, by the end of this year, Labour will have employed 170 full-time organisers in its 106 target seats, who in turn will recruit and train volunteer organisers in time for the 2015 election.
There was also a mention for David Miliband’s Movement for Change campaign group, which he set up in conjuntion with American political guru Arnie Graf. David may be off to New York, but it seems like his grassroots organisation is about to become pretty important to Labour as the party moves away from the centralised election strategies of the New Labour years.
As my colleague George Eaton’s recent interview with American journalist Sasha Issenberg reveals, the more data you have on your potential voters, the more likely you are to be able to target your persuasive messages at them effectively. By getting more organisers and volunteers out on the doorstep early on in the election cycle, Labour should be able to collect information that will pay dividends when the polls open in two years’ time.
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