Manifestos are a useful tool in election campaigns, helping to focus often wide-ranging policy proposals into a single document and provide a narrative thread that helps the whole package hold together. It also gives local opinion formers and journalists a document to examine and mine for information and quick quotes.
Campaigning opinion is split on the necessity of manifestos, it can be argued that spending a lot of time creating, consulting, drafting and publishing a document is counter-productive. In the internet age, where policy proposals can be quickly and easily found online, the pragmatic argument that it is time better spent knocking on doors can be a persuasive one.
On the other hand, an efficiently produced manifesto not only gives your platform an extra level of coherence, but it also allows for a manifesto ‘launch’ event, for which press releases and media invites can be prepared – just remember to get all of your friends and supporters to the event as well!
Below are two manifestos released by Liberal Democrat groups in advance of May’s elections.
If any members have an opinion (or some hints and tips) on manifestos for local government elections, please get in touch and let us know!
Manifestos