PR Observations on a Week in Politics
January 15th, 2010 by Wendy McAuliffe
It’s been a heavy week in politics, particularly from a PR standpoint. I thought it might be interesting to summarise my observations…
1. The Government’s apology to thalidomide survivors was delivered yesterday by Health Minister Mike O’Brien. It marked a big moment for victims of the 1950’s drug disaster in which pregnant women were severely affected as a result of having taken the drug for medical conditions such as morning sickness. It caused severe abnormalities in their babies, many of whom died within months of being born.
It’s taken 50 years for the Government to publicly take the blame, taking crisis management to a whole new level. Some however have questioned why the statement was delivered by a junior government minister - surely a British regulatory failure should be handled by no other than the most senior of spokespeople?
2. DUP leader Peter Robinson stepped down as Northern Ireland’s First Minister for six weeks to allow for an official investigation into his conduct surrounding his wife’s private life and finances. Robinson has completely rejected allegations that he knew about the £50,000 that his wife obtained from two developers for her teenage lover but did not tell the proper authorities.
Stepping aside can be a useful, temporary PR tactic, but opinion remains divided over whether an ‘innocent’ verdict will restore public confidence. Six weeks is a long time in politics, particularly amid a political crisis over devolution of policing and justice powers.
The DUP’s decision to publicly support Robinson is a brave one, and one they may live to regret. Jim Allister, the leader of Traditional Unionist Voice, commented: “The damage done to the Robinson brand is transferred to the DUP brand by such unequivocal support.”
3. Alastair Campbell’s appearance at the Iraq Inquiry once again begged the quesion why a communications man became so heavily involved in British Intelligence, including being involved in the writing of the WMD dossier. Don’t ever underestimate the power of a PR man (or woman!).
It’s been Campbell’s word against the former head of MI6, Sir John Scarlett, demonstrating the power a few words can hold. James Kirkup’s posts on the subject over at the Telegraph blog are well worth a read.
Tags: alastair campbell, government, iraq inquiry, peter robinson, politics, PR, thalidomide
