Tim Vickery seems to be lavishing egalitarian praise on Kaka for his attempt to save Milan from the economic pressures we are all living with http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2009/06/milan_to_madrid_via_manchester.html
While I appreciate that Kaka, Milan and Real Madrid have to go about securing their long-term futures in business, is it not a teensy bit disingenuous to suggest that Kaka left Milan as a canonised ex-player, thinking of how he could save his former club from extinction?
Is it not more the case that from it being a case of "typical Kaka - diplomatic, intelligent, serene and methodical" it was more the overpowering whiff of £56,000,000 that swayed the mind of the young Brazilian?
Barnet Hospital was built for £40,000,000 - that's a whole hospital serving thousands of people and would still leave enough change for Madrid to have purchased Gareth Barry from Villa. Now I'm not saying that Gareth is on par with Kaka, but there is no justification on earth that can be proposed that says one man should be paid that much for his services.
I have clients working in childcare that could not comprehend such a wage. People who are making real differences to children's lives not simply entertaining a few thousand folks every weekend.
As a football fan I understand that the top sides have to attract top players but this obscenity of escalating fees has to stop; and to pretend that the morals of players are impeccable when signing for such fees is stepping beyond the pail.
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
Question - Will Gordon Brown be the first Prime Minister to suffer death by PR?
Peter Mandelson may have strained every last ounce of his PR intelligence to have saved the PM for now, but how long can he staunch the tide of what is essentially a PR war?
Gordon Brown had the misfortune to pick up the mantle after Tony Blair left him with a huge mess to clean up. He will have known and prepared for that campaign an no doubt hoped to push aside the damage from our involvement in the 2nd Gulf war with a his ability to manage the economy - but then we hit global recession so he came a tad unstuck.
His biggest failure has been his lack of charisma. Where once content would have triumphed over presentation, today's voting public care less about policy than they do for a well turned out suit, a confident smile and a sound-bite that resonates and sticks with them. Blair was a prime exponent of that art, Brown lived in that shadow, standing his own ground as a fierce defender of the economy; together they had what we all desired - presentation and policy.
Brown then had the misfortune to be in Number 10 when the MP's expenses scandal broke. As the leader of the present Government he is not responsible for the rules that allowed the self-serving MPs to feed at the trough. His own record does not look too stained but the public have turned their anger on him and his party more than any other - they have lost the public relations battle in that one. What's worse for Brown is the way the media has forced the agenda on the expenses scandal and the comment on subsequent electoral losses.
Comments from David Cameron, William Hague, fleeing Ministers and backbenchers have been reiterated by BBC reporters as if they were fact rather than opinion. The opposition have been far sharper in their media PR relations than anyone in Government apart from Mandelson. They have been able to feed the media with suggestions, ideas and comments that have gone virtually unchallenged, leaving the journalists to have creative field day.
Brown's inability or decision not to go on the PR offensive has been used by the opposition and commentators as proof positive of his weakness and complicity in the failure of our political system. He is being hounded by the media and seriously injured by the opposition, not because of what he has done, but because of what he is seen not to do. He may still have some vestige of control over his Ministers but he certainly has none over his reputation in the public eye.
It is too late now but Brown should have stood firm in the face of Ministerial back-stabbing. His reaction should have been to expose the fleeing rats for what they were. When Blears and Flint walked he should have helped them on their way by exposing them as self-serving cowards.
If Gordon Brown does lose office before the next election, it will be because he failed in the one area that his predecessor understood only too well - how to manage your public image.
Peter Mandelson may have strained every last ounce of his PR intelligence to have saved the PM for now, but how long can he staunch the tide of what is essentially a PR war?
Gordon Brown had the misfortune to pick up the mantle after Tony Blair left him with a huge mess to clean up. He will have known and prepared for that campaign an no doubt hoped to push aside the damage from our involvement in the 2nd Gulf war with a his ability to manage the economy - but then we hit global recession so he came a tad unstuck.
His biggest failure has been his lack of charisma. Where once content would have triumphed over presentation, today's voting public care less about policy than they do for a well turned out suit, a confident smile and a sound-bite that resonates and sticks with them. Blair was a prime exponent of that art, Brown lived in that shadow, standing his own ground as a fierce defender of the economy; together they had what we all desired - presentation and policy.
Brown then had the misfortune to be in Number 10 when the MP's expenses scandal broke. As the leader of the present Government he is not responsible for the rules that allowed the self-serving MPs to feed at the trough. His own record does not look too stained but the public have turned their anger on him and his party more than any other - they have lost the public relations battle in that one. What's worse for Brown is the way the media has forced the agenda on the expenses scandal and the comment on subsequent electoral losses.
Comments from David Cameron, William Hague, fleeing Ministers and backbenchers have been reiterated by BBC reporters as if they were fact rather than opinion. The opposition have been far sharper in their media PR relations than anyone in Government apart from Mandelson. They have been able to feed the media with suggestions, ideas and comments that have gone virtually unchallenged, leaving the journalists to have creative field day.
Brown's inability or decision not to go on the PR offensive has been used by the opposition and commentators as proof positive of his weakness and complicity in the failure of our political system. He is being hounded by the media and seriously injured by the opposition, not because of what he has done, but because of what he is seen not to do. He may still have some vestige of control over his Ministers but he certainly has none over his reputation in the public eye.
It is too late now but Brown should have stood firm in the face of Ministerial back-stabbing. His reaction should have been to expose the fleeing rats for what they were. When Blears and Flint walked he should have helped them on their way by exposing them as self-serving cowards.
If Gordon Brown does lose office before the next election, it will be because he failed in the one area that his predecessor understood only too well - how to manage your public image.
Hi, and welcome to my PR blog.
This is where I will be discussing the latest events in PR. No, not all the usual "aren't we fab and look what we did for clients etc" (although there will be a fair bit of that as well) but more a reflection/critique of what is happening in the real world and how PR is or is not playing its part.
The topics could be as wide ranging as general political discussion to the latest sporting gaffs, from corporate social responsibility stars to BBC reporters that grate on the nerve ends with their pronunciation.
Whatever the topic, the blog will be relevant to public relations and severely spiced with a no holds barred approach.
Please feel free to join in and contribute at will.
This is where I will be discussing the latest events in PR. No, not all the usual "aren't we fab and look what we did for clients etc" (although there will be a fair bit of that as well) but more a reflection/critique of what is happening in the real world and how PR is or is not playing its part.
The topics could be as wide ranging as general political discussion to the latest sporting gaffs, from corporate social responsibility stars to BBC reporters that grate on the nerve ends with their pronunciation.
Whatever the topic, the blog will be relevant to public relations and severely spiced with a no holds barred approach.
Please feel free to join in and contribute at will.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)