Conservative conference: Setting and controlling the news agenda

This week has seen another pitched battle between the party spin doctors, the media and the even more unpredictable wider world.

Things didn’t start smoothly for the Conservative Party with the comments from Andrew Tyrie about the lack of a serious growth plan. In the vein of David Batty and Graeme Le Saux (for those who remember the mid 90s Moscow mauling) the media are always keen for an argument among the same team and his perceived attack was quickly picked up and blown up.

But up stepped the spin doctors of No 10 who had a quiet word with Mr Tyrie, presumably to remind him who the team captain is. They unfortunately lost some of their mystery when the quiet word was captured by a camera crew, which was very The Thick of It.

David Cameron attempted to regain the initiative with his interviews on Sunday and a mea culpa over his attitude to women. No more calm down dear for Dave who wanted to express his deepest regret for recent comments. Although this generated some positive headlines, actions, as always, will speak louder than words.

The Chancellor then pulled a monetary rabbit out of what we had been told was a completely empty hat to offer a freeze on Council Tax. This certainly warmed the hearts of middle England and was warmly welcomed by the Daily Mail among others.

But questions remain over the plan for growth. The credit easing for small business was left field enough for many commentators to not know quite how to react. It has been positively received so far, although questions have begun to be raised about its implementation and implication for Government.

Overall it has been a relatively positive conference so far for the ruling party. The challenge now is for the Prime Minister to raise the level and try to leave the country with an upbeat message, despite the ongoing economic turmoil. Should be a restful night for Mr Cameron then…

Tony Cox