I was listening this week to Jim Messina, known in Washington DC as “The Fixer”. From 2009 to 2011, Messina served as deputy chief of staff for operations under President Barack Obama. Messina was also campaign manager during Obama’s 2012 successful re-election campaign

The problem, according to Messina, is that voters don’t seem to understand what the Tory message is anymore. It’s as if the party is speaking, but no one is listening.

Part of this is due to the fact that Conservatives have been in power since winning the 2019 General Election. People seem simply tired of them.

However, Messina thinks another factor is in play. If you look at the UK Prime Minister’s daily events, you will see him standing at a podium featuring three or four separate slogans, which is confusing for voters.

Contrast that with the UK’s Labour Party, which has stuck religiously to a single message: Change. Messina says elections are decided by ordinary voters who don’t think about politics much, as they go about their daily lives.

“The most important thing is message to voters. People, at least in the US, think about politics four minutes a week and the have two and a half jobs. And you have to have a very clear message about what you are going to do to make their lives better. And I think too often make it too confusing and too complex.”

Jim Messina, Politico Power Play Podcast, Episode 40, 19 June 2024

In a separate but clearly related point, Messina also discusses the importance of message discipline. Even if you have a single, clear message, success will be elusive if you fail to deliberately concentrate on the consistent delivery of that message.

“I used to say to Barack Obama, every day you are talking about yourself, we lose because incumbents usually lose referendums on themselves.”

Jim Messina, Politico Power Play Podcast, Episode 40, 19 June 2024

This might be a useful reminder for politicians in Saskatchewan, attempting to defend their record or aspiring to the Office of the Premier. Every day that you are off-message is a day that the seed you are attempting to plant in the mind of the electorate might fail to germinate.

Every day you are talking about whether or not you believe in chemtrails or rebuffing calls for an investigation into alleged harassment of Saskatchewan’s Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is a day you are not articulating your core message. Nor are you comparing and contrasting your record with the record of your opponents. Yes, there is still plenty of time before the next Saskatchewan provincial general election in late October. However, as Messina states in his interview time is the only thing you can’t get more of in politics and time is always running-out.

Not only is message clarity important for external audiences, it is also important for internal political audiences. Those who are newly elected or re-elected need to be incredibly clear in stating their goals and priorities, when dealing with public servants.

This point was driven home recently by UK policy advisor Polly Mackenzie. She says politicians and the staff they hire must be absolutely clear and consistent on what structural and systemic changes they want to see during the term of a government. The people you surround yourself with as you govern take on a great importance:

There has been kind of a growing tendency to have special advisors, across the spectrum actually, who are very young, exuberant and enthusiastic about briefings and playing kind-of-political games. If you are expecting to go into potentially a two or three term government and do serious things for the country, the kind of people you need about you as a new Minister, and I think special advisors are important and the yare important for more than just press relations — they bring a kind of intellectual perspective a challenge into the civil service–that sense of who are the minds you want about you, to help you navigate the incredibly complicated and difficult world of policy and system change.

Polly Mackenzie, How to Win an Election podcast, The Times, 18 June 2024

Finally, after 45 continuous years of employment in journalism, politics and the education sector, I find myself heading into retirement in a matter of days. It has been a difficult year in education. So I would like to extend my best wishes to all of the teachers in the province. I hope you all have a restful summer and experience nothing but success and satisfaction in the coming years.

And while I may not have agreed with all of his policies (most particularly his Brexit strategy), I do find former UK Prime Minister David Cameron had a wonderful way of saying good-bye to his friends, colleagues and opponents during his final Prime Minister’s Questions in July of 2016 . You can watch it here:

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-politics-36781565

To paraphrase and adapt to my own circumstances, I will say that people enter into the education sector with huge passion for the students in their care. They enter the profession with great love for public education and a strong desire to transmit the knowledge needed for young people to become productive and informed members of our larger society.

And from my new spot on the sidelines, I will be willing you on and wishing you every success.

The Politico Power Play podcast can be found here: https://www.politico.eu/power-play-podcast/

The Times How to Win an Election podcast is found here: https://www.thetimes.com/podcasts/how-to-win-an-election