Have the Conservatives mounted the worst general election campaign in decades?
If your party is 20 points behind in the polls after 14 years in power then you have to do everything right to even stand a chance of retaining power. The Conservatives have not done everything right.
In fact, the Tories may have done as much work to put Labour in government as Labour have while fatally undermining their own case in the face of recent evidence that they are a safe pair of hands.
This could be the worst judged general election campaign since Neil Kinnock got on stage back in 1992 to scream “we’re all right” four times at a rally modelled on an American presidential campaign. Eight days later John Major won.
So when RIshi Sunak called a snap election he presumably hoped to catch the other parties by surprise. Unfortunately no one appeared more surprised than his own party that they would go to the polls on July 4.
Evidence of that was clear. The campaign began in Scotland with a flying visit to Nigg where the Tories lacked a candidate at the time so he was seeking votes in a vacuum. A bad start.
And that was strange because the Green Freeport of which Nigg is a part should on the face of it have been fertile ground to show what can be done between the Scottish and UK governments.
It was also a Conservative idea that was touched up by the SNP but if you look at the picture above taken on the day, do either of those men look like they are ready to lead parties to election victory?
It could have been a showcase event for Britain’s surge towards renewable energy. Instead there was a sit down with the media and questions about election timing and not having a candidate.
Few would have predicted at the start of the election period that Douglas Ross would resign as Scottish Tory leader after performing a U-turn which has become something of a trademark.
His bid to represent North Aberdeenshire and East Moray by displacing David Duguid who was recovering from illness in hospital and still wanted to stand for election looked terrible.
When we revealed the figures behind his plan to represent the Highland and Islands, lead the Scottish Conservatives while sitting as an MP and working as a linesman, the proposal looked ever more untenable.
He performed another U-turn shortly afterwards and decided to make North Aberdeenshire and East Moray his priority – if he loses he would retain his Highlands and Islands seat in Holyrood.
And if that happens then in two years time at the Holyrood elections voters will enter the polling booth to set out who their first, second, third and so on choice candidates and parties are knowing they are not Mr Ross’s first choice.
And there are still just under three weeks of the election to go.
