Zero to Hero, Hero to Zero

Strategy with Sue Marsh

In a tale of two leaders, this week has been an extraordinary reversal of fortunes. Honest Dave, who has built both his own reputation and that of his party on a trustworthy, affable front is not looking quite so….honest. Despite a few feeble attempts to cry “left wing plot”, right wing commentators have either been advisedly quiet or have been fanning the flames with as much, if not greater relish, than those on the left. When Oborne, The Telegraph and The Mail are carrying the worst of the Cameron allegations, it’s clear the PM is in trouble.

The rumours swirling around Cameron are getting closer. He looks uncomfortable, unsure. Though every one may yet be totally untrue, he is making himself look like a man with something to hide. He’s slow to react, playing catch up to a situation slipping out of his control.

Does a Prime Minister answer to rumour? Only if he really does have nothing to hide. If I were advising Cameron or writing his speech for the commons tomorrow, I’d do everything I could to reclaim “Honest Dave”. He can get everything out in the open now or he can let this boil grow and fester over the summer recess. If Dave is good at nothing else, then he does repentant sinner very well indeed.

There seems no public mood to turn against Cameron. A quick, frank apology now might just regain his momentum, wrong foot his critics and draw a line under his involvement in the whole issue. If of course he DOES have something to hide, then he can’t take my advice and that’s the whole fix he’s in now. By not coming clean, he looks dishonest.

And Mr Miliband. The very same papers who just a fortnight ago could only find pictures of him looking geeky or ridiculous have miraculously found a whole stack of images marked “steely” and “capable”. A man who seemed always out of step is suddenly leading the march.

Just two weeks ago Ed seemed tied up in knots, unable to please either the factions within his own party or the public as a whole. With the phone hacking scandal, he seemed to decide to bet everything on black. Enough cautious balancing and managing the egos of bickering colleagues who couldn’t quite understand they were in opposition. As a leader who always seemed fond of the David and Goliath metaphor he saw a chance to play his role.

But is it a role? Honesty is not the preserve of Prime Ministers and the public will need endless convincing that Ed means what he says and is prepared to follow though. Finishing off a wounded media mogul engulfed in public disgust is one thing. Making our financial systems more accountable and cleaning up politics have been promised before, but largely have been just empty words.

Will Cameron continue to lose public trust? Will Ed continue to build it? It all comes down to honesty. If the public see Ed follow through, stick to his guns and take on some of the vast corruption and impotence ordinary people have felt for years, he might just earn the trust of voters. If this is simply a bandwagon, then people will feel his betrayal more painfully for being promised a change. Nick Clegg can explain that to Ed all too well.

The public mood has changed. It changed a long while ago. The system is presumed corrupt until proven otherwise. Politicians lie, the media distort, business exploits. This is not “left” or “right” it is a belief we all came to share. Any politician hoping to convince us otherwise has only honesty to fight with.