Gary's views

Gary's weekly views

Each week an article by Gary has appeared in the Plympton Plymstock and Ivybridge News in South West Devon. The articles are published here

SALIENCE

The experts call it salience, which I guess has got something to do with saltiness. In short it is what we politicians are told by the pollsters are the issues considered most important by voters. It varies a little from region to region and from time to time a really big issue can blow up from nowhere and swamp everything else.

But by and large for the last few years we are told that the pecking order is as follows:
1. The economy – by a mile.
2. Health
3. Education
4. Crime
5. Asylum and immigration

There is then a gentle tapering off through tax and environmental concerns until you get to Europe, which tends to hover around 10th or 11th place.

If you care passionately about Europe you will never accept this. You will tell me that all of your friends agree with you that this is the most important issue facing our country, and maybe it is. It could also be that we all tend to surround ourselves with a small handful of people who think the same as we do!

It is perfectly possible to have the best policy since sliced bread on a certain policy and campaign on it like mad - only to find that it has no real cut through with the electorate because only a handful of people care much about that issue. I fear that my own party was more than a tad guilty of this at the last election.

So as we start the countdown to the next general election (only the PM knows when this will be – but we all expect it to be next May 2005) you will find politicians talking more and more about the top 3 issues that we are told you care most about.

In days of yore the best politicians were those who knew instinctively what issues resonated with the public. We now have an army of pollsters and sephologists beavering away with clipboards to tell us.
That’s all very well, but the experts often get it wrong.
So I thought that I would conduct my own poll. I would greatly appreciate it if you send me in your own top 5 issues – the things that matter most to you. The things you want people like me to focus on. I will then publish the results. Let’s see if we can confound the pundits!

posted by Nigel on Monday, June 28, 2004