Ahead of what could be a big weekend for the Welsh Labour Party and its leaders current and future, here is some advice from former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell admittedly he’s taking about World Leaders but much of it applies to all political leaders on what works and what doesn’t in the current political climate.
He writes ‘The first and most obvious step to authenticity is to be who and what you are. That does not mean not taking care of image, message, words, pictures, clothes, media management, voices of third party support, attacks on opponents. But they must all speak to a basic strategic reality, because in this more intense exposure, the public will get to the reality anyway.
Gordon Brown's Premiership of Britain has been at its best when he has been wrestling, and been seen to be wrestling, with big complicated issues like the global financial crisis. It plays to his strengths. Yet when he tries to address a perceived weakness, summed up in the phrase 'dour Scot' which stalks his media profiles, with a populist touch or a modern cultural resonance, reactions tend to be negative. The real thing - dour Scot more interested in serious policy than modern fame - is more authentic, and thus more attractive.
And he ends his piece saying, ‘Nobody gets to lead their country without having very special qualities. The five leaders mentioned above (Brown, Obama, Sarkozy, Merkel, Berlusconi) are all very different people, with different styles, different characters, different strengths and weaknesses. But the prose of government is harder than the poetry of campaigns. Getting there is hard enough. Staying there, in the modern age, is even harder. As Frau Merkel's father, a Protestant pastor, might well have said, being true to yourself is the only guidebook worth having.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Welsh Conservatives and the Economy
As Welsh business commentators regularly report the hardest group of people to persuade of the merits of devolution over the past decade (the reactionaries don’t count) have been the Business Community and with welsh business issues big and small being ignored or fully not addressed support from business will remain hard to come by for any Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) whatever the spin.
WAG’s failings in this area are well documented but it’s perhaps surprising to know that despite the beliefs of many and the rhetoric of being the only business friendly party in Wales, much of the business community in Wales has not been impressed with the Conservative’s record on economic matters in the National Assembly for Wales since its inception. The main criticism is the lack of interest and lobbying on crucial business matters that Tory AM’s fail to engage with and raise with WAG Ministers. Indeed it’s difficult to point to a change in economic policy that WAG made because of Tory lobbying.
Now the Welsh economy was not in great shape before the current recession and neither Labour, Plaid Cymru or the Lib Dems are exactly trusted or admired for their efforts to help businesses, nor are they known for being pro business despite the ‘we want more jobs line’ always trotted out by those parties, but they don’t claim to be, the Tory’s do.
The issue is that the Conservative’s lambast First Minister Rhodri Morgan and his Government in the Senedd week in week out for their failures because WAG provides what it thinks business needs rather than what Welsh Business wants and that works on one level, but in the broader context such constant criticism without any policy alternatives and changes in WAG policy to point to as a result of lobbying simply rings hollow with a constituency of people who should be open to supporting the Tory’s on economic and business policy and many don't
A change of thinking is needed if the Tories are to regain the credibility and trust they talk of because at this rate a future Conservative Economic Development Minister will have the same impact as the Labour, Lib Dem and Plaid Cymru ones we’ve had to date - precious little.
WAG’s failings in this area are well documented but it’s perhaps surprising to know that despite the beliefs of many and the rhetoric of being the only business friendly party in Wales, much of the business community in Wales has not been impressed with the Conservative’s record on economic matters in the National Assembly for Wales since its inception. The main criticism is the lack of interest and lobbying on crucial business matters that Tory AM’s fail to engage with and raise with WAG Ministers. Indeed it’s difficult to point to a change in economic policy that WAG made because of Tory lobbying.
Now the Welsh economy was not in great shape before the current recession and neither Labour, Plaid Cymru or the Lib Dems are exactly trusted or admired for their efforts to help businesses, nor are they known for being pro business despite the ‘we want more jobs line’ always trotted out by those parties, but they don’t claim to be, the Tory’s do.
The issue is that the Conservative’s lambast First Minister Rhodri Morgan and his Government in the Senedd week in week out for their failures because WAG provides what it thinks business needs rather than what Welsh Business wants and that works on one level, but in the broader context such constant criticism without any policy alternatives and changes in WAG policy to point to as a result of lobbying simply rings hollow with a constituency of people who should be open to supporting the Tory’s on economic and business policy and many don't
A change of thinking is needed if the Tories are to regain the credibility and trust they talk of because at this rate a future Conservative Economic Development Minister will have the same impact as the Labour, Lib Dem and Plaid Cymru ones we’ve had to date - precious little.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Adding Insult to Injury
Reading Rhodri Morgan’s predictions for the tough economic times ahead for Wales following a decade of increases in the Welsh Block Grant and the first round of European Funds, with little more than an big increase in public sector jobs that will shortly disappear to show for his and his Government’s efforts is an insult to the 100,000 plus unemployed in Wales and the Welsh businesses who are going to the wall daily.
But perhaps the biggest indictment of Rhodri Morgan’s economic credentials is that it took the current recession for him and his advisers to take on board new ideas, something that those involved in welsh business have called for on many occasion over the years, to help the economy and he admitted in First Minister Questions yesterday that the much praised ProAct and ReAct schemes were other people’s ideas.
Aside from the economy, there maybe some justice Rhodri Morgan is the man who introduced the ‘Clear Red Water’ policy to distance himself form Tony Blair’s New Labour is stepping down as leader in very similar circumstances to the former Prime Minister both getting out of top flight politics just before the going gets really tough and handing their successors difficult legacy's to cope with.
But perhaps the biggest indictment of Rhodri Morgan’s economic credentials is that it took the current recession for him and his advisers to take on board new ideas, something that those involved in welsh business have called for on many occasion over the years, to help the economy and he admitted in First Minister Questions yesterday that the much praised ProAct and ReAct schemes were other people’s ideas.
Aside from the economy, there maybe some justice Rhodri Morgan is the man who introduced the ‘Clear Red Water’ policy to distance himself form Tony Blair’s New Labour is stepping down as leader in very similar circumstances to the former Prime Minister both getting out of top flight politics just before the going gets really tough and handing their successors difficult legacy's to cope with.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Vince and the Lib Dems have been at it again
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have their own troubles at the moment most caused by the Lib Dems leadership but others that are not, in case they were feeling picked on, Vince Cable's been at it again with the Scottish Lib Dems as well over the issue of Scottish Independence because his comment and a leaked memo by Lib Dem Chief Whip in the Scottish Parliament Mike Rumbles has brought the 2010 independence referendum have made it to the top of the agenda.
Vince Cable told a fringe meeting at his Party Conference “I think that within a year’s time, maybe two years’ time, there will be a major constitutional crisis in Britain.
“This government has devolved substantial powers to Scotland, rightly, absolutely rightly.
“But there is a scenario looming up, which we hope will not happen, but we may get a Conservative government. Certainly polls suggest that might happen, with probably one or two Scottish MPs quite likely, but absolutely no mandate whatever north of the border.
“You have a nationalist government in Edinburgh on collision course with a government in London that is not interested – actually would probably quite like to get rid of all those Labour MPs north of the border – and the whole future of the UK will come into question.
“I believe that would be a terrible tragedy because the United Kingdom is one of the great creations of this country.
“Unless we grasp this, the situation is allowed to drift, it’s going to lead to conflict and possibly secession. That is probably the most important constitutional issue we are going to face.”
The Scottish Lib Dems are playing down the significance of both stories not surprisingly, it will be interesting to see if the line on opposing the referendum bill holds when it comes to be voted on in the Scottish Parliament as many Lib Dem MSP's aare in favour of more powers including borrowing powers. The policy on opposing just about held in 2007 Elections and in Wales but its clear that policy is decided and insisted on by Lib Dems leadership in Westminster whatever the spin of a Federal Party they trot out.
The full story report on the leaked memo is here
Vince Cable told a fringe meeting at his Party Conference “I think that within a year’s time, maybe two years’ time, there will be a major constitutional crisis in Britain.
“This government has devolved substantial powers to Scotland, rightly, absolutely rightly.
“But there is a scenario looming up, which we hope will not happen, but we may get a Conservative government. Certainly polls suggest that might happen, with probably one or two Scottish MPs quite likely, but absolutely no mandate whatever north of the border.
“You have a nationalist government in Edinburgh on collision course with a government in London that is not interested – actually would probably quite like to get rid of all those Labour MPs north of the border – and the whole future of the UK will come into question.
“I believe that would be a terrible tragedy because the United Kingdom is one of the great creations of this country.
“Unless we grasp this, the situation is allowed to drift, it’s going to lead to conflict and possibly secession. That is probably the most important constitutional issue we are going to face.”
The Scottish Lib Dems are playing down the significance of both stories not surprisingly, it will be interesting to see if the line on opposing the referendum bill holds when it comes to be voted on in the Scottish Parliament as many Lib Dem MSP's aare in favour of more powers including borrowing powers. The policy on opposing just about held in 2007 Elections and in Wales but its clear that policy is decided and insisted on by Lib Dems leadership in Westminster whatever the spin of a Federal Party they trot out.
The full story report on the leaked memo is here
Monday, September 21, 2009
Thought for the Day
Why is no political party, think tank, journalist, media outlet, commentator or blogger in the UK or Wales talking about new sectors of the economy creating growth as a solution to the recession, rather than the narrow debate of which taxes rises and what public services are cut?
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Growing in Importance
He may have been preaching to the converted despite having some difficult things to sell to his party, but the fact that Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg did a group interview with 10 Lib Dem bloggers from across the UK before his Party’s conference as well as interviews with the main stream media is further proof that the blogosphere is becoming an important part of the UK and Welsh political scene, with blogs and online campaigns certain to play a larger role in the upcoming General Election
And Nick Clegg isn’t the only Leader recognising the benefits, Plaid Cymru Leader Ieuan Wyn Jones gave an interview to WalesHome before his party’s conference in Llandudno last week recognition perhaps that he could reach a different and wider audience than the main stream welsh media provides.
And as well as both Party Leader’s doing blog interviews, Plaid Cymru and the Lib Dems have also included Official Resident Bloggers at their Conferences reporting on what’s going on in conference from a different perspective because they don’t have deadlines to meet.
We will see whether other Leaders and Party’s follow suit at their Conferences in the coming weeks, (although in utilising technology terms David Cameron is streets ahead of Gordon Brown), but it terms of the role of blogs in politics another marker has been laid down and it would be a stupid party to ignore the opportunities they present to them both now and in the future.
And Nick Clegg isn’t the only Leader recognising the benefits, Plaid Cymru Leader Ieuan Wyn Jones gave an interview to WalesHome before his party’s conference in Llandudno last week recognition perhaps that he could reach a different and wider audience than the main stream welsh media provides.
And as well as both Party Leader’s doing blog interviews, Plaid Cymru and the Lib Dems have also included Official Resident Bloggers at their Conferences reporting on what’s going on in conference from a different perspective because they don’t have deadlines to meet.
We will see whether other Leaders and Party’s follow suit at their Conferences in the coming weeks, (although in utilising technology terms David Cameron is streets ahead of Gordon Brown), but it terms of the role of blogs in politics another marker has been laid down and it would be a stupid party to ignore the opportunities they present to them both now and in the future.
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