THE Conservatives have “fired the starting gun” for the general election by unveiling their first campaign poster with the slogan: “Let’s stay on the road to a stronger economy.”

Although predictable, it is the safe place to start for the Tories. The management of an improving economy – albeit one that isn’t growing as fast as they’d hoped – remains their safest bet as the year of the election gets under way.

But that mantra alone will not be enough to secure an overall majority in what is the most unpredictable election for a generation.

Having lost two MPs to Ukip in 2014, and with David Cameron facing simmering backbench dissent over Europe and unfulfilled promises on immigration, the Conservatives will need to come up with a stronger hand than a single card labelled “gradual economic progress”.

Indeed, none of the main parties can afford to dismiss Ukip as a bunch of right-wing lunatics.

They have to face that fact that a significant proportion of the electorate is totally disaffected with mainstream politics and come up with reasons for those voters to re-engage.

And if the centre ground is not to be surrendered to Labour, there has to be a greater understanding by the Conservatives that “staying on the road” requires well-paced steps, instead of a headlong rush.

Deficit reduction is a necessary task, but the journey along the road has to be balanced, rather than blindly ideological and uncaring.

With public services – especially the NHS – buckling under the pressure, there has to be more appreciation that prolonged austerity has dire social consequences, not least here in the North-East.

Let’s stay on the road to a stronger economy.

But let’s not turn a blind eye to those who fall by the wayside.