Nicola Sturgeon is a wily and sure-footed politician who is a strong and charismatic leader. That's the way to do it.

Promising the electorate what you think the electorate wants ends up with massively stupid things such as a contest as to who can plant the most trees. It doesn't work. Hired "reality checkers" will soon pick the bones out of things like that. You don't have to do too much of stuff like that before your opponents have all the ammunition they need in order to make you look ridiculous. Here are some things you don't do: promise a four-day week. You'll never do it so don't say it. Score Corbyn out of ten. That's a really silly game and you could be nailing your flag to a mast that's falling down. Tell people that you'll nationalise everything that moves. You won't and can't anyway, it's not exactly popular, the enemy has lots of examples of why it often didn't work so why screw yourself by saying it? Forget to let people know that you've made your mind up. The most iconic moment for me in the campaign was Johnson driving a JCB through a wall, demolishing it at a stroke with "get brexit done" emblazoned on the front. The Tories know that the electorate are stupid and they make full use of the fact. If you actually read any manifesto you are a rare exception. The message has to be unsubtle and crude, not convoluted inside a hundred-page document that makes you hostage to fortune. It can still reflect your honest aspirations without sending people into a bored torpor. When I was a green-behind-the-ears young teacher, I applied for a head of science job at a school in Lytham. I "came second." After the interview the headmaster came up to me and told me he'd wanted me for the job but the governors had overruled him because they'd felt that I was trying to tell them what I thought they wanted to hear. The bloke who got the job had gone in and told them that the the department was in a shambles and needed a bloody good shake up. Which I suppose it did. He went in there and impressively cowed the governors. I know that because the head told me. That's how you win things. If Starmer gets the job he'd better grow a pair very quickly is all I can say.

I hear to my dismay that there may be ructions and splits behind the scenes in RLB's camp. She'd better get that sorted otherwise she's stuffed.