Out of touch and out of sight

So who did sign off that condescending and out-of-touch Twitter ad about beer and bingo? Well, it seems like just about every senior figure in the Tory party did, according to the top scoop by Iain Martin in the Sunday Telegraph.

But while the Tories talk to themselves as their post-mortem rumbles on, Labour activists have been talking to the public about the cost-of-living crisis.

Yesterday Labour held a day of action to highlight the Government’s failure to help hard-working families in last week’s Budget. Local Labour parties, MPs, PPCs and activists held events in each of our 106 key target seats up and down the country. Half a million leaflets were distributed in total. This was an effort supported right from the top with almost 50 of our shadow ministers hitting the streets in every part of the country.

Judging by the hundreds of tweets using #costofcameron, people are not conned by the complacency of David Cameron and George Osborne. They know they are on average £1,600 a year worse off under the Tories and they want to hear Labour’s alternative.

This follows past campaigning days where Labour have been out and about in over a hundred seats and reached millions online. Labour’s #costofcameron messages, infographics and pictures were in the timeline of 14 million Twitter followers in January, for example. In fairness to the Tories, their Budget day infographic about bingo reached millions too…but not in a good way.

Labour’s campaign is about having millions of conversations with the public – on the doorstep, as well as online. But where were the Tories this weekend? Was there another ‘strategy session’ by the pool at Chequers with David Cameron and his favourite cigarette lobbyist, Lynton Crosby? Perhaps poor old Grant Shapps was left to wring out the swimming trunks in the changing rooms.

But, going around the battleground seats, you can’t see a blue rosette for love nor money.  Which just goes to show: the Tories are not only out of touch, they’re also out of sight. Bingo and a beer, anyone?

Michael Dugher is MP for Barnsley East, Labour vice-chair and shadow minister for the cabinet office