Conservatives and libertarians need to do some serious rebranding.
In many ways, the political left is doing a much better marketing job than the right and that is very bad for the future of democracy.
The Left has a clearer brand image. Love it or hate it, most people have a strong image of the left.
The right has a wishy-washy brand image. Unless you are on the loony left you probably neither love it or hate it. The right just hasn’t been marketing itself that way. It is the political side you have when you don’t want anyone else.
But that is not good enough. The problems we are facing are too great. The right needs to lift its game.
In Australia, we have seen the Liberal Party sell itself as a type of slightly more moderate left wing party. But who does this actually appeal to? The people on the right don’t like it. And people on the left will stick with their leftist parties. It is an approach that appeals to no one.
As a result, we are seeing the right splinter into various smaller parties such as One Nation, Australian Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. At least these smaller parties have a clearer image than the Liberals now have. However, the right is still not getting its brand image right.
One Nation has a fairly clear image, although it might not be the right image. And while Australian Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats might have a clear image to the small percent of people who support them they don’t mean much to rest of the population.
However, it is certainly possible for the right to establish a clear and positive brand image with widespread appeal. For instance, there is a fellow in America called Donald Trump who has had some success marketing the political right. You might have heard of him. However, if we go by the poor way they sell their own politics, it would seem that many on the political right in Australia have never heard of him. And yet they could and should learn a lot from his marketing approach.
Donald Trump and others who take a stand and show some confidence are getting support. The public might not even be sure what these new right wing politicians actually believe in. These politicians might not always be sure what they believe in themselves. But they are creating an image that they believe in something and are willing to take action.
Not surprisingly, people are happy to see someone believe in something and stand up to the left.
And this problem is not just found with right wing politicians. Many right wing political commentators suffer from it as well. Many so called right wing commentators seem to be pawns of the left. And some are not even aware that they are. They have been in the ‘echo chamber’ so long they have lost track of reality. They talk in similar wishy-washy terms to the right wing politicians, although not usually that bad.
The really big problem is that when the right’s brand image is trashed, it destroys the brand image of freedom and democracy. And that is something we cannot afford to happen.
Therefore, the right wing politicians have to lift their game. But we can’t just leave this up to the politicians so we all have to get involved.
Therefore, this book isn’t just for the political class. Many politicians and even some commentators are too far gone. This book is for everyone interested in the future of free society.
It is about how we can all make a difference.
Michael J. Thompson
