The countdown has begun. One year to go until what the Economist has dubbed the ‘Impossible Election’. Uncertainty rules the day. Labour and the Conservatives are neck and neck in the polls, the Farage effect has put UKIP on a seemingly irreversible rise and Scotland is on the verge of independence. The list of possible outcomes for the next election is longer than it has ever been.
The election campaign has started. Given that in 2010 the Coalition partners didn’t agree to enough legislation for the full five years, the legislative output of the House of Commons is at a record low. Focus is now very much on the campaign. And it looks set to be gruelling, with coalition breakups and makeups all on the way. Hopefully Jeremy Kyle will not be needed.
Newspapers have marked the countdown with various stories and tips for the political parties. Many fears are raised: Labour heartlands turning their back on Ed Miliband, disenchanted young people not voting, Cameron losing support from women.
Charities too have begun to prepare for May next year:
- Through its General Election campaign, Macmillan Cancer Support is asking the public to pledge support for “making cancer care a priority in the looming cancer crisis” and to call on political parties to do the same
- Mind is recruiting 10 volunteers to help “position mental health as a top priority for all the main political parties.”
- The Royal British Legion is encouraging members to submit policy proposals to help put together their 2015 General Election Manifesto
Here at nfpSynergy, we too will be turning our sights towards the General Election. Over the coming weeks, we will release two reports, which will mark the start of a year of nfpSynergy election coverage.
The first will build on our Charity Parliamentary Monitor and present nine key campaigning tactics charities should adopt and avoid in the run-up to the election. It is based on our interviews with over 150 MPs and you can get that one free on our website from May 14th.
Drawing on data from our Celtic Charity Parliamentary Monitor, our second report will recommend how charities should enter and engage in the debate on Scottish Independence. This one comes from our conversations with 50 MSPs and it too will be free, available later in May.
If you’d like to be involved in our upcoming election coverage, or would like to start a discussion about what you think will be the key topics of the next election, please get in touch on cpm@nfpsynergy.net.