Can Wendy Mend Labour?

Mar 23 2008 Steve Dinneen

WENDY Alexander suffered a new blow as Labour leader when an opinion poll last-week gave her a MINUS 22per cent personal approval rating.

Alex Salmond opened up a staggering 75 per cent lead over his main rival with a 53 per cent rating.

It suggests the SNP would extend their lead from one seat to 13 if there was an election tomorrow.

The result came as Labour's popularity hit its lowest since 1983.

Is it the end for the first woman to lead Scottish Labour? Or can Wendy mend it?

Steve Dineen asked policy and election experts, a speech writer, an image consultant and a spin doctor to plot her comeback.

Their verdict? A new image, turn from a politician to a person... and hope the SNP honeymoon ends.

  

Try to sit tight...don't panic, says Matt Qvortrup, Policy Advisor

QVORTRUP is a member of independent think tank the Policy Exchange and chairman of the political science department at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.

He said: "The best advice I could give her is to sit tight and not panic.

"There is a long way until the next election and radical new policy ideas now would be rash.

"Sometimes saying nothing at all is the most prudent thing to do.

"The SNP have started off doing lots of nice things policy-wise, such as the council tax freeze, but the general rule is to get the crap stuff out of the way first and build up more attractive policies slowly throughout your tenure.

"Tory leader David Cameron did the same - it took a long time before he showed anything resembling a policy blueprint.

"But all is not lost for Wendy. She just needs to ride the storm and make sure she doesn't get the boot."

  

Start speaking from heart, says professional speechwriter Brian Jenner

JENNER has worked with some of the world's most powerful businessmen, penning scripts for the chairman of BP, Peter Sutherland.

He said: "The first port of call should be making sure her speechwriters are up to scratch.

"The top politicians who can blow a crowd away with their speeches employ talented writers - journalists, playwrights, comedians - to make sure what they say works on an audience.

"Speechwriters must be able to come up with fresh ideas.

When Wendy speaks she can be very dry, quite subdued. She talks a lot about policy and rarely steps out of the safety zone.

"People connect with politicians who speak from the heart as well as the head - like George Galloway.

"Wendy needs to add passion and talk a bit more about herself and her experiences and the things that make her angry. But that can be difficult in Labour."

  

Wait for us to go bankrupt, advises spin doctor Charlie Whelan

WHELAN was then-Chancellor Gordon Brown's media advisor but resigned in 1999.

He said: "It really isn't Wendy's fault the media are having a love affair with Alex Salmond.

"He's the grinning Cheshire Cat of politics and he's telling the media and chattering classes exactly what they want to hear but sooner or later he's going to get found out.

"Wendy needs to sit it out and wait for things to start falling down.

"There's no point coming out with the kind of nonsense Salmond does, drawing in the media with false promises.

"When Scotland goes bankrupt people will be more than happy to listen to what she has to say. I don't think there is anything wrong with the way Wendy is going about things.

"She is making positive steps with the media.

"But while Salmond and his party are in their honeymoon period she will just have to let him take the limelight for a while."

  

Ditch grey suits for brighter future, suggests image consultant Ceril Campbell

CAMPBELL has advised celebrities ranging from Richard Branson to Jodie Marsh on how to improve their public image.

She said: "Wendy wears a lot of grey, neutral suits - the equivalent of a man wearing a black suit.

"Butmen always jazz their look up with a coloured shirt or bright tie and Wendy needs to do the same - make her clothes bring her to life in the eyes of the voters.

"When she changes to pastels she is much more appealing to women voters.

"The key is to soften her look to strike the balance between feminine and authoritative. The same goes for her make-up - she needs to soften it to make her seem like a person rather than a politician.

"She isn't the most photogenic woman and I think she should spend time with a photographer and learn to iron out her negative mannerisms.

"If she's looking more confident on camera people will have more faith in her ability. Politics is increasingly about your image and the way you present yourself."

  

She needs a win to reverse the rot, believes John Curtice, Professor of politics

CURTICE is an elections expert and professor of politics at Strathclyde University.

He said: "Wendy faces two challenges - the political and the personal.

"Labour had a poor record in Scottish Parliament elections even before it lost last May - in 2003 it won just 29 per cent of the regional list vote.

"People are keen to know who will stand up for Scotland and they are not sure Labour will.

"Setting up a commission to look at the powers of the Scottish Parliament is a first step towards repairing that image. But for some in the Labour party, it is a step too far.

"Pushing it forward requires a leader with personal authority and respect.

"Wendy's standing was endangered by her run-in with the Electoral Commission and is now eroded by poor performances at Holyrood and a failure to endear herself to the public.

"She needs some quick, short-term successes on these fronts to reverse the rot."