Can David Cameron make us love his Big Society this Valentine's Day? He's certainly determined to try. Those who refuse to be wooed may wonder why he bothers.
The first reason is the next election. The prime minister accepts that the deficit, the economy and cuts will define him, his party and his government whenever he goes to the polls. However, David Cameron wants to be seen to stand for much more than that. From the moment he became party leader he spoke of decontaminating the Tory brand. With Ed Miliband now speaking about re-contaminating it, the stakes could scarcely be higher.
The second reason is captured in a phrase Tony Blair liked to use when party supporters demanded to know why he was going along with George Bush and his war in Iraq - "it's worse than you think, I actually believe this stuff".
For years Tories have been clear what they are against - what David Cameron called the big, top down, bossy bureaucratic society - but they struggled to articulate what they were in favour of. The Big Society is his answer but it's still a struggle.
One thing worth noting today is that the Tory leader is reaching for phrases he's had more success with. Phrases such as "responsibility" and "broken society" to explain the concept he's finding it hard to make us love.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson/2011/02/they_love_it_th.html
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