The Conservatives think theyve beaten Ed Miliband on the economy. They should listen to austerity-hit voters
Even the finest political insights congeal into received wisdom over time. Then they rot into banality. When James Carville, Bill Clintons campaign strategist, first pinned a reminder in his office to focus on, among other things, the economy, stupid, he could not have known that this morsel would still be reheated and served up on Westminster menus 22 years later.
Carvilles aide-memoire gets an outing whenever politicians are losing an argument about something that isnt the economy and want to pretend it doesnt matter. Its the first commandment: thou shalt have no other issues before me.
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