By Atul Hatwal
Rule 5: Be the change you want voters to see
How does an opposition leader convince the sceptical public that they have what it takes to lead?
Just as defeat means voters do not believe a losing party’s economic prescription, they equally have little faith in the leader to make the big decisions that will determine the fate of the country.
Even if an opposition elects a new leader, they are usually little known by the electorate and tainted with the failure of the past.
Starting from this position of deep public mistrust, the opposition leader needs to demonstrate that they are fit to take that 3am call.
And this has to be achieved without being able to make any actual decisions that will impact voters’ lives.
Making statements on national and international issues is expected, but ultimately it’s merely opining. An opposition leader has as much actual power as a newspaper columnist or a blogger. (more…)