Tories have a new spin Doctor

The news that former News of the World editor Andy Coulson is to join the Tories as their media spin doctor has attracted a fair amount of comment this morning.

Andy,you may recall,fell on his sword following the recent phone tapping scandal.The Tories seem at the moment to be in desperate need of some media coordination.

The lying low strategy whilst Blair continues his world tour has backfired with avengence as the party implodes over Grammar schools.

Have a read of Lance Price is this morning's Telegraph


"The grammar schools debacle, which has become more embarrassing by the day, is only the latest evidence of a lack of any serious tactical thinking. Cameron and his closest allies have been flying by the seat of their well-tailored pants and it is beginning to show. Coulson's appointment hasn't come a day too soon. "

The battle is now on with Michael Ellam who will move to Downing street on Brown's succession.

There is some speculation that this may herald a move by the Murdoch papers back to the Tory party.

Will it work?Read this by Michael White on Media Guardian.

According to Guido

he suspects this will signal a much needed change in the tone of Tory propaganda. Trying, as Osborne recently did, to frame Gordon Brown as a leftie won't work. The approach to Gordon has to chime in with the truth that people instinctively sense. He is an unpleasant, difficult to work with, psychologically flawed, malevolent, grudge-bearing control freak. These aspects of his character are even more of a negative than his tax and spend, big government, micro-managing policies.