Tories have always been more successful at spin than Labour.

From Stumbling&Mumbling -

"between the 1997 and 2005 elections, New Labour lost 3.9 million votes. That's equivalent to the entire electorate of Scotland. By contrast, Labour's vote actually rose between the 1974 and 1979 elections. That's right. The New Labour government that presided over falling unemployment, economic stability and growing prosperity managed to lose 3.9 million more votes than the old Labour one that presided over double-digit inflation, rising unemployment and the winter of discontent. And in 2005, Labour got 1.9 million fewer votes than it got in 1979".

Of course the Tories have a serious advantage over Labour in the game of spin - having the vast majority of the press helping them. The problem for the Tories are the terrible policies they are trying to spin...

Cameron's shameless opportunism in the Ealing-Southall byelection demonstrated how far he is prepared to go to try 'celebrity politics'. He exploited factionalism in the local Labour party, had a good looking young ethnic candidate poached from being a Labour supporter, along with a few discontented Labour councillors. It failed. He raised their share of the vote less than 1% (the same 'Cameron effect' of less than 1% happened in Brighton Regency ward despite Cameron giving a high profile visit) and finished 3rd behind the Lib Dems.

William Rees Mogg writing in the Times is spinning this as a success for the Tories on the basis that Labour's vote share fell and it has demonstrated Tory commitment to the centre ground and to a multi-ethnic Britain - this is utter rubbish. Everyone knows the Tories are about as shallow as a lake in the Sahara and governments on their way out lose byelections not hold on with massive majorities. I also notice the Sun are trying to promote the few 'ethnic Tories'".

This is all well and good to see the Tory party in its desperation trying to recruit any ethnic minority candidate they can get their hands on. At the moment, virtually any young working class, especially female and/or non-white person in the Tory party is being fast-tracked to stand in seats (unwinnable ones of course) and promoted heavily in the Tory press as a sign of a more diverse, caring/sharing Tory party - it is an utter sham - a 'Cam-Sham'.

The problem for the Tories is that their sexist, racist, homophobic, xenophobic, anti-poor policies and the views of most of their party members and MPs are anathema to most of the population. Cameron is talking left but where are the left-wing policies?

The Tories talking of social justice is like Hitler talking of world peace - people want to believe it's true but it is unlikely to be anything other than a trick to hide a sinister agenda. We only have to look at the Tories' track record (and the track record of Cameron and his Eton cabinet) for evidence of that.

If people really want to help the poorest in our society - they should trust the people who should know - there is a reason social class D/E gives Labour comfortable 15-30% leads over the Tories in General Elections. These people may be poor but they are not stupid!