You’re right I don’t like Blair.
He did do those things - he was massively helped by begging given a media platform to articulate the vision, show how these could and would work.
The ‘left’ don’t have a platform like that any more to articulate the vision and ideas (did they really ever is maybe another debate)
How do you combat that?
You start by not refusing to talk to them, being arsey when you do talk to them, rant on and on about how their owners are evil and you’ll bankrupt them given half a chance.
Then you continue by being a professional outfit that is across its brief and getting lines out on time.
Only then do you get to whine about media bias.
The left were a massive disappointment the last five years. They were incompetent, lazy, conspiracy riddled. We don’t get to blame the media bias or anything else until we get our own house in order.
Then we need to be positive. Like the country and it’s people. Listen to their concerns and explain how we will solve them in simple clear messages about policy.
None of this is rocket science but we refuse to do it. It’s childish: “wearing a suit is Tory” “having a media strategy is Tory” “listening to voters and trying to win a majority is Tory”.
I’ll let you in on a secret: the media pander to the public, not the other way around. Murdoch backs winners because he sees which way the wind is blowing not because he’s an all powerful mastermind. When the left talk about “pandering to the right wing media” what they really mean is “pandering to the British public”. You may not agree with a majority of voters, I certainly don’t, but you’ve got to accept that in a democracy you need their support.