#GeneralElection2019 a note to Boris Johnson

I am in a bit of a rush - have to get out - but I feel the need to write this - after the Theresa May debacle.

I want the Tories to get a working majority in the December General Election and for the Brexit we voted for to follow.

However I acknowledge the Tories are in a complex battle and election tone could well prove critical.

Here is some constructive feedback for Boris and Dominic Cummings :

• Avoid being over bullish. Show some humility. "Fantastic " is not a good word. It is over egging.
• Don't underestimate the subtlety of the electorate.
• For instance STOP bigging up the new Withdrawal Deal as "fantastic". It is not fantastic. It is a good deal, Boris got it against the odds - it does the job and it allows us to deliver the full Brexit the people voted for - which is the democratic thing to do. It acknowledges we were right all the way along - the EU did not want a no deal - because it would hurt them massively. The Benn surrender act damaged our negotiating position massively. Without it the Withdrawal terms would have been even better.
• One big vote winner - Brexit - people voted to take back control of our laws money and borders and to be able to trade on our own terms with the rest of the world. Anything less than that is Brino - not Brexit and therefore not what the people voted for. It is as simple as that. Boris will deliver Brexit not Brino. Be clear on that. Knock back the notion of a Tory hard Brexit - there is no such thing.
• Talk positively about the opportunities Brexit offers. There has not been nearly enough of that. We are defending Brexit by playing down the negatives of leaving. The referendum was won by playing on the disadvantages of staying relative to the merits of leaving. We need to get back to that.
• Talk calmly about what would happen if Brexit didn't happen. Imagine if Brexit was overturned. We would not quietly go back to the status quo. Democracy would have been undermined in the view of millions. More than that imagine how the EU would be emboldened. There would be no stopping the EU technocrats. We would be heading for a federal Europe and there would be nothing we could do about it.
• There are a lot of disillusioned voters. A lot of people who voted Brexit are saying they will never vote again because there vote did not count. This needs to be addressed. Their vote is even more important now!
• Stop saying the NHS is fantastic. That is a vote loser. The NHS is NOT in a fantastic state. The Tories have tried hard - we are putting more money in - we really believe in the NHS but we acknowledge we have to do more etc etc - and we are!
• I have always used this Margaret Thatcher truism (sadly might not want to refer to her at this time)  which sums up the difference between Tories and Labour. "Compassion is rarely enough - you have to earn it first before you can give it away". The public understand this - they know it to be true - it is commonsense. Labour want to give it away but they do not have the policies to create the tax revenues. This is fundamental and while every past Labour Government has got into financial trouble. Labour policies especially under Corbyn are too greater risk.
• Explain why we had to get the UK debt under control after the crash - but under the Tories public finances are now off the critical list and we can start investing again in public services and infrastructure.
• Banging on about another 20000 police is not subtle enough. It is how the police will be used that needs to be emphasised. Refer to too much political correctness that stops the police being able to function properly.
• Do not duck the need to end the free movement of people - it is still a huge vote winner. The UK does not want to stop immigration - we want to control it!
• At all costs DO NOT GET CARRIED AWAY WITH SPENDING PLEDGES - it undermines credibility. The electorate recognise when politicians are offering sweeties. It does not go down well. Be statesmanlike.
• Do not over play the Jeremy Corbyn is a Marxist terrorist sympathiser etc. People are happy to accept he is misguided , naïve etc etc - not suitable to be a Prime Minister - but they recognise in him that he means well and is probably a "nice person". Do not bully. Be more subtle. 
• There are millions of Labour brexit supporters especially in the north. True they feel let down by the remainer Labour Party. However they will have to hold their nose big time to vote Tory. Definitely not in the bag. Their vote is more likely to go to the Brexit Party. Be strategic.

More to come - but these are some of my immediate thoughts! Don't blow it otherwise our nation will really be heading down the pan.