Politics Explained

Can slogans change the minds of voters before the general election?

For better or worse, Brexit got done and Britain took back control, as Sean O’Grady examines what makes political slogans successful and whether they will have an impact on who enters No 10 on 4 July

Monday 27 May 2024 16:27
Comments
Sir Keir Starmer says Labour will ‘change Britain for the better’
Sir Keir Starmer says Labour will ‘change Britain for the better’ (PA)

Without any specific “launch” events, the main parties have decided what their slogans are going to be. The Labour Party has gone minimalist with its unusual one-word pitch: “Change.” By contrast, the Conservatives, apart from the various invocations of the (never to be seen or actually published) “plan” that they’re sticking to, have chosen an unusually wordy formulation for their social media videos and other materials: “Clear Plan, Bold Action, Secure Future.” The latest polling research commissioned by The Independent suggests, perhaps a little surprisingly, that the public rates it slightly better than Labour’s almost demanding slogan. But there is more to a winning campaign than a good catchphrase...

Do slogans matter?

Yes. They give professional politicians and activists something simple to remember and repeat incessantly until “the message” gets through. They give the media something to play with in reportage and headlines, and commentators something to write about on a slow day (evidently). They can help “connect” a party with the public, particularly if, as in more recent times, they are coined in focus groups by the public themselves. The highly successful and versatile phrases used by the Leave side in the 2016 EU referendum were the epitome of the technique of reflecting back to the public their own inchoate opinions: “Take Back Control.” Whoever spontaneously volunteered that in some hotel meeting room with a team of pollsters has never had a penny in royalties.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in