On the face of it, the decision by Take a Break magazine to launch a political party as a way of boosting its own profile was a pretty neat PR move. Despite maintaining its lead as the best-selling women's magazine market in this cluttered niche market, the Bauer-owned media publication is not resting on its laurels.
The mag that managed to bag the prime minister, Tony Blair, last year with a caption that read, "Hooray, I'm in Take a Break" now boasts that, "Britain's biggest-selling women's magazine is about to launch its own 'Mum's Army' party with 54 candidates standing for election". According to its editor, John Dale, the magazine already has a register of over 10,000 supporters and this may only be the "beginning".
By seeking out local press coverage as "Mum's Army" candidates, the magazine title will benefit from free local publicity and hopefully keep newcomers such as IPC's Pick Me Up magazine at bay.
The slate on which Mum's Army candidates will stand is tackling the antisocial behaviour that blights local communities, though Dale says they will adjust the platform to accommodate other demands of "ordinary women". (Five of its 54 candidates are men, which suggests quite a lot of adjustment may be necessary.)
Can it be a coincidence that combating antisocial behaviour is also Mr Blair's favourite theme? Tomorrow the former Take a Break star will unveil the most radical measures to date to tackle nuisance neighbours as part of his Respect agenda.
So, all power to the editor for jumping on this particular political bandwagon. But random calls to two of the four candidates put forward for interview by Take a Break reveals that planning may have been a bit slack. One of the candidates is based in Dyfed, where there are no local elections this year. The other is a well-intentioned widowed father of seven living in Cambridgeshire, where again, no local elections are due. One hazards a guess at how many other candidates are likely to bewilder local residents as they canvass for a non-existent local election.
It's the sort of minor detail that the magazine just hasn't had a chance to check out, according to Take a Break's Mum's Army coordinator. "I'm afraid with the sheer volume of supporters and candidates that we've been dealing with, we haven't been able to check the specifics of standing for election in all their areas and also keep producing a magazine. All we can do is help them by providing guidance and advice, which is what we have done in our Action Plan."
It will be interesting to note closer to May how many of the mums will still be standing when candidates bother to check out the first rule of local politics. Namely, is there an election actually taking place? Let's hope Pick Me Up doesn't cotton on.
