However, I don't totally agree on the stage managed area. A couple of factories she went to she was given a hard time by workers that clearly were not Tories and when interviewed afterwards they clearly were not supporters.
Ah, I hadn't heard about that. She seemed to be mostly concentrating on party activists, and didn't make as many public appearances as PMs usually do.
JC on the other hand did have huge rallies which looked and were impressive but these, to a point, were stage managed as they were organised by Momentum.
I dunno, he also did a lot of walkarounds where random members of the public were able to speak to him too. He did one near me and people just turned up. I know people who went who aren't party members and who most definitely didn't get any invitation or vetting. It wasn't about Momentum making sure people were there. I know that because the people I know didn't get invited or contacted through Momentum, and I could have gone if I'd wanted and I am certainly nothing to do with them. People did actually want to hear what he had to say. They tend not to get many politicos in that area: I suspect May would have attracted similar interest, though it's a Labour leaning seat, but neither she nor any Tory front bencher visited.
It seems to be an approach that worked. It's generally acknowledged that he's a good campaigner and wins votes for himself that way, and you can't do that just by holding rallies with party activists.
Re Cable, people like him but he's just too old. Is he even interested in the job anyway?