Hello, it's Gordon here...
2008-05-30 14:09
London - Gordon Brown has taken to "cold
calling" members of the general public, newspapers reported on
Friday, in the latest charm offensive aimed at restoring his
battered popularity.
Brown, reeling from a string of poor election results, has
been randomly phoning critics who have written him letters of
complaint to make the point that he really does listen.
While Downing St officials insisted it was not a new
initiative, media reports on Friday said the idea had come from
his newly appointed strategy chief Stephen Carter.
Carter, a former public relations chief, wanted to
"humanise" his new boss, PR Week reported.
"Carter thought it was a good idea to have Brown call people
personally," an insider told the industry magazine.
"Carter will choose a letter or e-mail at random, have one of
his team at Number 10 prepare a response, then get Brown to
call."
The tactic, revealed on the same day as Labour recorded its
worst opinion poll showing since surveys began in 1943, has been
used by dozen of politicians since Jimmy Carter's 1976
presidential campaign.
It is not known how many calls Brown makes a week, but
newspapers reported on Friday it was as many as two dozen.
The magazine said the tactic backfired once, when Brown, an
early riser, rang a member of the public at 06:00 - a claim
Downing Street has denied.
No Downing Street spokesperson was immediately available on
Friday morning.
The YouGov poll, published by the Daily Telegraph, showed
Labour on 23% against 47% for the opposition
Conservatives, underlining voter concerns about a slowing
economy, rising fuel and food prices and the botched 10p tax
abolition.
- Reuters