1001 stories from the coalition

In '1001 Arabian Nights' Scheherazade had to tell a new story every night to impress her husband and ensure he did not execute her.

Over the last couple of weeks the coalition government has been just a prolific with its storytelling, with each new day bringing a new initiative to put the country back on track.

In the last week the country has been informed that the government intends to slash incapacity spending (Sunday), impose an immigration cap (Monday), introduce a regional stimulus fund to help struggling areas (Tuesday) and keep low level offenders out of prison (Wednesday).

All of these proclamations are intended to present the new government as pro-active, progressive and forward thinking. Not everyone is impressed though.

There has been criticism in the House of Commons that all of the government’s initiatives tend to come to light away from the despatch box.

The ConDems seem to prefer pre-arranged press conferences, like the love-in at the rose garden or Laws and Osborne's cuts presentation, to debate in parliament.

Theresa May had to apologise on Wednesday that her immigration cap proposals were leaked to the media before being read to the House.

This morning the ConDems are at it again, with the BBC reporting the scheduled date for a vote on electoral reform before the official announcement due next week.

Convenient leaks to the media are nothing new of course and Tony Blair used them to great affect during his time as PM.

The criticisms were much the same then as they are now. By revealing policies to the press before the House, government press officers can spin the story and gain popular support before they are debated by all sides in parliament.

With such controversial policies being suggested it is easier to control a stage managed press conference then the unpredictable reactions of MPs.

The government’s continued storytelling is helping to dominate the political agenda in the same way the Labour government did for most of Blair’s time in power.

The opposition is wounded and leaderless making it easier for the ConDems to act as if there is no opposition.

Like Scheherazade the creation of a coherent narrative is important to the government’s survival. The story Nick and Dave want to establish is that everything is Labour’s fault and that their decive reforms are the only solution.

So far the strategy is working but it is how the governments policies conclude not how they start that will decide their fate.

The Arabian princess managed to put off a definitive conclusion to her stories until the prince decided he wanted to keep her, the ConDems are looking for a similar result.