IT'S A CRIME! (OR A MYSTERY...)

PR fails & how to lose customers

And while on the topic of Allison & Busby, Chiara Priorelli, Publicity Manager recently put up a blog post about PR disasters linking to this article on Top ten online PR fails.  It makes for an interesting list as some have had more publicity than others.  I was surprised to see Neal's Yard on there, but Ryanair takes the ginger nut as per usual.  I have never flown with Ryanair, but I have read a lot about them and their business philosophy.  (Think: sort of Neanderthal and pulling people forcibly by their hair, but charging per centimetre for the privilege, in this millennium.  I guess I just joined their ranks of "idiot bloggers" with that comment.)  Do read the list for some fun and learning.  As Chiara says "Why learn the hard way through your own mistakes, when you can skirt disaster by learning from other peoples‘ mistakes?"

Could this be Gordon's dream team for the cabinet?

On a lighter note, after yesterday’s diatribe, let’s enter the mind of Gordon Brown and find out his dream team for the cabinet.  Not to be taken seriously.

CABINET:
Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service
The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP (I’m going to keep my own job, obviously.)
Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal; Minister for Women and Equality (and deputising for the Prime Minister at PMQs)
Germaine Greer (Well, she did appear on Big Brother and she’s always stood up for women…)
First Secretary of State, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and Lord President of the Council
Simon Cowell (He knows how to make a bit of money, that one!)
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Carol Vorderman (For obvious reasons.)
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Ant and Dec (Everyone loves them!)
Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor
Nancy Dell’Olio (She’s a lawyer, I’m told.)
Secretary of State for the Home Department
Joanna Lumley (Absolutely fab woman.)
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Hugh Fearnley–Whittingstall (The perfect package for this role, I think.)
Secretary of State for International Development
Lenny Henry (He does great work with Comic Relief.)
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
David Tennant (Now there’s a man who knows how to grow communities.  He got such a fan base because of Dr Who!)
Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families
J.K.Rowling (Perfect for the job!)
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
Jonathon Porritt (I must be seen to be taking this one seriously.  And especially more seriously than that bloody Cameron!)
Secretary of State for Health
Jo Brand (She used to be a mental health nurse and then she turned to comedy.  They’ll be laughing and eating out of her hands when she makes announcements on every one of our ongoing incessant new initiatives.)
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Kenneth Branagh (Even more popular now he’s Kurt Wallander on the TV and he comes from there.  Northern Ireland that is; not Sweden.)
Leader of the House of Lords and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Sir Alan Sugar (I must give him something to do.)
Minister for the Cabinet Office, and for the Olympics and Paymaster General
Sir Steve Redgrave (A national hero and he knows a thing or two about the Olympics.)
Secretary of State for Scotland
Billy Connolly (Popular man.)
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Margaret Mountford (She’s just announced she’s leaving The Apprentice and I’m sure I can persuade her to put off her PhD work for just a wee while longer.)
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Helen Mirren (Now there’s another popular lass and national treasure.)
Secretary of State for Wales
Ruth Jones (She’ll know what’s occurrin’ and she might turn around that Barry Island crowd for me after that bloody Cameron visited there.)
Secretary of State for Defence
Katie Price (A bit of a wild card, I know, but she’s got to be in here somewhere.)
Secretary of State for Transport
Jeremy Clarkson (There’s no one more appropriate for this job.)
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Clare Balding (Perfect for the job: she does the horseracing and she’s been on HIGNFY.)

OTHER CABINET ATTENDEES:
Chief Whip (Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury)
Gordon Ramsay (He’ll know how to galvanise my troops.  All that SHOUTING!)
Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu (Now, I don’t always agree with what he says, but he does talk sense and tends to pop up with pearls of wsidom in the media at the right time.  Perfect!)
Minister of State (Housing), Department for Communities and Local Government
Frank Skinner (I saw him on Question Time and he’s still Labour.  Yeay!)
Minister of State (Business), Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Theo Paphitis (One of the BBC’s Dragons and a fantastic chap.  I’d have loved to add another woman with Deborah Meaden, but she’s a bit scarey for me.  And I’ve already got Germaine Greer on the team, which is enough for one man, surely?)
Minister of State (Science and Innovation), Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Baroness Professor Susan Greenfield (For obvious reasons.)
Minister of State (Employment), Department for Work and Pensions
Ruth Badger (The best of the runners-up on The Apprentice.)

ATTEND CABINET WHEN THEIR MINISTERIAL RESPONSIBILITIES ARE ON THE AGENDA:
Attorney General
Fiona Shackleton (She stood up to Heather Mills! And won!)
Minister of State (Children), Department for Children, Schools and Families
Michael Rosen (Excellent man and great with kids.)
Minister of State (Regional Economic Development and Co-ordination) Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Martin Clunes (People love him, don’t they?  And he’s just done a series touring Britain’s islands, I believe.  Perfect.)

As you can see, I am not afraid of women and I do not think of them as window dressing.  Neither am I arrogant.  So there!  Now to carry on with the important job at hand for which I am the only person in country with the competence to do so.  Actually, Germaine is scarier than Harriet so I may have to revisit that thought…

Today is the Start of a New Week...

...Let us also find it the start of a new dawn in terms of political democracy...

Let the truly guilty take their deserve and the PM act decisively...

In today's world that means no carrot again and a stick to reckon with, at last.  

Quick and easy, and then concentration on what matters most: our flailing economy.

As f0r the rest, your hope is as good as mine...

And how the hell did we get to this?  Yep: don't forget the Blair years and all they promised and did not deliver.  He's high and dry on public speaking income while the rest of us count the pennies.

They all make me sick.

Actions Speak Louder than Words and (Non-) Delivery on Promises

Forgive me the indulgence of this Saturday night rant, but I feel I must, if only to relieve my rising blood pressure.

It is only a few weeks ago, perhaps months - but then, events have moved very fast recently- that Labour grandees, indeed the Prime Minister himself told us they would concentrate on the economy.  Cue the curve ball from the Daily Telegraph in reporting on MPs' expenses in the run up to the local and European elections.  Yes, there was a flurry of activity to follow, but it wasn't in pursuing the economy's woes, it was in checking expenses and covering arses.

The system was to blame, we were told.  But so was the culture endemic in the population that used the system.  Having worked so hard in the lead to avoid the Freedom of Information Act applying to such disclosures and spending approx. £300k in legal fees in the process - again taxpayers' money - the Speaker was made a scapegoat of sorts and forced to resign.  I say "of sorts" because the debate was widened to recognise and question the very system of our democracy in parliament, corporate governance in the houses, if you will.

Gordon Brown has been promising action for some time now.  It is very slow coming.  Along the way, where he went for a knee jerk reaction he got it wrong in suggesting a system of "turn up" allowances.  Meanwhile all parties are doing their own thing in rectifying the expenses scandal as best they can and Labour has a "star chamber" to assess its own MPs' failures.  And what a crass name to call it.  But again, nothing has been swift and direct or action oriented on their part.

This weekend we saw the local election results and a cabinet reshuffle.  Labour has been decimated in the polls and the Conservatives have done well.  The potential for protest voting, which would have seen some dubious parties given some power, did not, thankfully, come through.  But it is with the reshuffle that the true nature and further proof of a lack of understanding of the electorate's thoughts  shines through.

Those who resigned at moments of most damage to their own administration have only resigned from the cabinet.  Anyone standing down as an MP on the Labour side seems to be waiting for the next election and is thus able to continue to draw a salary and claim expenses until then, even if they have been exposed as on the wrong side of the expenses interpretation.  Caroline Flint was in full support of Gordon Brown one day and the next thing we know she's resigned claiming Gordon used her only as "window dressing".  This behaviour carries the vapours of loyalty to seek promotion only.  It has the appearance of still in it for themselves.  (Ditto Alan Johnson, moving into the Home Office when he was their only hope of a credible alternative leader.)  Still concentrating on the economy then guys?  I think not.

As for the reshuffle, let's look at some of those parachuted in, in an arena where the foundations of our democratic system are questioned.  And before we start on them let's remind ourselves that:

1. We have a PM that no one ever voted on for that position, even in his own party.

2. Peter Mandelson, who twice resigned from Blair's government due to scandals, returned to government (Business Minister) from the EU, courtesy of a place in the House of Lords.  As a result of the reshuffle, he is now perceived as the Deputy Prime Minister, although I am unable to find media confirmation of this appointment on a formal basis.

Presumably due to lack of talent among the elected MPs or the need for Brown to surround himself with his loyals (suitably rewarded), we now see parachuted in/promoted:

1. Lord Adonis replaces Geoff Hoon (the part-time property developer if you believe the DT's interpretation of his expenses) at Transport.
2. Glenys Kinnock lands on further soft turf as Europe Minister (replacing the loyalty-wavering-queen Flint) within 24 hours of her completing her stint at the EU, courtesy of an elevation to the Lords to sit alongside hubby Neil.  (Well, they like to keep it in the family as we've seen before.)  Most recent reports of Mrs K's EU performance have noted that she was in the bottom 10 of all 78 UK MEPs based on her record, as well as subject to allegations by Plaid Cymru that "she had mentioned Welsh issues only twice during a decade of speeches to the Parliament in Strasbourg".

3. For some reason, Gordon Brown thinks we need an "Enterprise Tsar" - I question the need for a "Tsar" and not the need for promoting enterprise during these times - and couldn't it be tied in with a credible and existing cabinet post?  Enter Sir Alan Sugar who has been happy to accept a place in the Lords and take on the role.  This is the same Alan Sugar who heavily criticised Gordon Brown at the time of the last recession as reported on the blog Dizzy Thinks here (with full letter to the FT, at the time, disclosed).

This from a PM who is "setting out plans for a Constitutional Reform Bill" and "plans to set up a National Democratic Council to head the march for reform".  All the above are unelected.  He hasn't grasped the real picture, has he?  Democracy means choice and representation through  choice, not favours for friends in reward for loyalty and keeping the incumbent in post for as long he/she desires.

Meanwhile the focus in the media resides on the politics at parliament while the economy continues to dredge the bottom of the pool, the unemployed figures grow by day and home repossessions do the same.  It was reported on the 3rd of June that Margaret Beckett, Housing Minister was forced to admit that the government's "Mortgage Rescue Scheme", with funds of £285m had helped only TWO families to retain their homes since its inception in Jan of this year.  But when I read the small print that eventually came out, I could see that exclusions would lead to few qualifying for such support.

Are we all living on the same planet, let alone in the same country?  The division between the political class and the electorate it serves remains wide.  Very wide.  It's a bit like "sweet and sour" with no meat or veg; we are forced to taste the sour while they continue to suck up the sweet.

Today was the 65th anniversary of D-Day, a day when 130,000 allied troops landed in Normandy bringing a start to the end to the Second World War.  Even that memorial service in France was fraught with controvery in the weeks leading up to it as it was turned into a political scenario.  Sarkozy wanted to see it as a Franco-American affair.  The Queen was not invited.  Prince Charles attended.  So did Gordon Brown in the end and having seen a smidgeon of footage today, I have to feel sorry for our PM.  (He is our PM for now, after all.)  Brown seemed lost, on the periphery and not invited in.  Stumbling to latch on to someone: Obama being his choice.  Obama's wife was all there and leading in the thick of things.  Carla Bruni actually managed to look jealous at the US President's wife's ability to connect as Michelle took the arm of a Veteran.

All this says a lot about politics today.  The political classes, who seek their own ambitions need to be expired and replaced by those who value and respect service to their electorate.  Where the electorate has spoken in the council elections in England in the UK, I feel this is marker for revulsion at Labour's handling of the economy, and secondary to that, parliamentary expenses sleaze.

Let us never forget those we remember today: the (mainly) men who lost their lives or fought and survived at D-Day for the sake of freedom for their generation and future generations.  Freedom and freedom of speech is what they fought for.  The ability to live your life as you choose is what they fought for.

It would be all so fluffy and marshmallow to the men who fought for our rights, integrity and freedom, but the years have slummed politics into the mire.  We now need solid leadership, strategy, direction, pointed policies and above all, ACTION.  Let's make it now.

If Gordon can't trust it; give us a general election now please!

I don't want to hear promises of reform, I want to hear of reform.  I don't want to read of schemes to help the suffering; I want to hear of active schemes to help them that have materialised.

We live in unkown times, but throw your opinions at the gate, whatever you do.  And vote!

Simon Singh and The British Chiropractic Association

If you click on the link above you will find details of Simon Singh's situation of being sued for libel by the British Chiropractic Association.   The page includes a link for you to register your support, should you so wish.  The page starts:

The use of the English libel laws to silence critical discussion of medical practice and scientific evidence discourages debate, denies the public access to the full picture and encourages use of the courts to silence critics. The British Chiropractic Association has sued Simon Singh for libel. The scientific community would have preferred that it had defended its position about chiropractic through an open discussion in the medical literature or mainstream media.

Today Simon Singh announces that he is applying to appeal the judge's recent pre-trial ruling in this case, in conjunction with the launch of this support campaign to defend the right of the pubic to read the views of scientists and writers.

Join the campaign! In a statement published today, over 100 people from the worlds of science, journalism, publishing, comedy, literature and law have joined together to express support for Simon and call for an urgent review of English law of libel. Please help us with this campaign, sign the statement and tell everyone you know to sign it. With every additional 1000 names we will be sending the statement again to Government until there is a commitment and a timetable from the parties for the necessary legislation.

Click the link for more information.