Given that Theresa May just ran an election campaign that was unbelievably terrible, no doubt on the advice of ‘Public Relations professionals’, perhaps The PR industry needs better PR itself.
Is a government that spends money on PR less honest? PR is merely manipulation or promotion, often through the use of evasion or misinformation.
What PR professionals fail to realise is that in the digital age, governments need to be visible and authentic in communicating the decisions they have made, and why they have made them. They need to acknowledge and admit to mistakes, and move forward – always engaging with the electorate. The days of hiding behind a PR machine are extinct.
Let me give you a local example. In December 2014, with great fanfare, a ‘better deal agreed for Aquasplash pool’ was announced.
This is the waterfront leisure pool that was built on the assumption that it could break even, yet it has cost taxpayers millions over the years. The story was covered in all the local media; indeed the JEP highlighted that this was a £500,000 saving over 5 years. Comfort for those of us with our concerns over the States’ ability to negotiate contracts – especially in respect of the International Finance Centre.
So I decided to look in the recently published States Accounts to see if the saving had actually been achieved and maintained.
Rather annoyingly the States changed the formatting of the accounts so as not to show the previous year’s figure, so I had to dig out the 2015 Accounts to get the full picture.
In 2015 the subsidy was £400,972. In 2016 it had risen to £499,973 – a rise of £100,000.
The promises made in the 2014 announcement have not been delivered. Where is the honesty in a government that does not correct misinformation, or admit mistakes? Why has no one, from civil servants to politicians, dealt with this in an open and honest way?
In the old days the PR machine may have got away with this, but in the digital age it is too easy to cross-reference and uncover deceit. My advice to politicians in respect of the care inquiry report – forget everything that the PR professionals have told you and just tell the truth.
