Ed Balls made waves today with his first Labour Party conference speech as Shadow Chancellor, but it was his use of the five pledge ploy that was most interesting to me.

His five point plan for growth was well packaged for news gatherers and the public, reducing complex policy into memorable bite sized chunks. Some are quick to make the point that this is an old PR tactic that harks back to New Labour’s glory days, when the party framed its 1997 manifesto on the back of a pledge card. It was simple and brilliant and set a mode of political communication that remains well used today.

Continue reading “Pledge to use the five point plan with care” →