Comments on: You can have too many Spin doctors

By: mikestallard

mikestallard — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:04:51 +0000

I think myself that the spin doctors have done an excellent job. the BBC speaks their truth unto the nation. The Times of London does too. Then there is the truthful Guardian. And even the Independent speaks the truth.
Mrs Thatcher had her own (excellent) press officer, Bernard Ingham.
By taking care of the press, and, yes, the gutter press too, this government has managed to get its own socialist way for over ten years. Any untruthful paper – like the Mail – is rubbished by the other media, including their hilarious comedians on Radio 4, or else it sidelined like the Telegraph on Newsnight.
David Cameron must have press officers, too, who can communicate, in good English, what the government is doing. So must the Lib Dems.
The problem, as always, is that “Gordon” has chosen such rubbish people to do the job. That way, he can still be in control of them (he reckons).

By: mikestallard

mikestallard — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 08:59:22 +0000

cp Nicholas II, when it was the tsar’s advisers who were the crooks, not the sacred tsar.

By: oldrightie

oldrightie — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:57:20 +0000

Given my new word “spinspeak” are spin doctors spinspeak quacks?

By: Brian Tomkinson

Brian Tomkinson — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:11:08 +0000

If politicians are as clever as they would have us believe, why do they need armies of spin doctors to convey their messages? Don’t forget this started with Blair. I have been concerned that too many leading Conservatives were enthralled by that charlatan and his spin machine. I hope that they have now cleansed themselves of any thought of emulating him, which I am sure they were at one time planning. We are, hopefully, approaching the end of one of the worst periods of government in this country. If the Conservatives win a majority at the next general election and don’t clean up the mess and eliminate the politicisation of the civil service and other public services then our parliamentary democracy may cease to exist.

By: Denis Cooper

Denis Cooper — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 16:46:13 +0000

The procedure for impeachment is described here:

http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/notes/snpc-02666.pdf

and as it would start in the Commons it can get nowhere while the accused person can still command the support of a majority of MPs.

By: ManicBeancounter

ManicBeancounter — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 14:03:46 +0000

The problem with spin doctors is that they filter and re-package the messages and the reality coming out. When you have a clear and consistent vision, then this is manageable. But when that vision is lost and when the only sense of direction is to do anything to divert attention from their lack of ideas and from their failings; or when many are trying to save their own careers; or keep past indiscretions hidden; then the messages conflict and the whole charade falls apart.

By: Hawkeye

Hawkeye — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 14:01:54 +0000

John Redwood said: “Who can the PM trust?”

To a normal individual I would say “Trust your own judgement” but Gordon seems to lack empathy and social understanding so that method is out for him.

If your policies are so poor that you have to “spin” them then you need to go away and think more about what you are doing. Good, properly thought out and clearly presented policies require no spin.

The number of spin doctors in No.10 merely demonstrates how shoddily put together Labour’s policies really are.

By: John Bowman

John Bowman — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 13:17:49 +0000

What is the procedure for impeachment of Dear Leader Brown and his wrecking crew? Even at a cursory glance there is surely enough to hang ‘em with.

It is no longer government, but a leaderless pack of feral dogs rounding on each other fighting for supremacy.

What exactly is the Queen doing – it is supposed to be her Government and she acts as trustee of good governance of the People? It is time she fired them.

By: Brigham

Brigham — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 11:05:38 +0000

It appear that any old fool can be a Prime Minister. It seems that it is acceptable to have advisers and/or spin doctors to tell them what to do. No wonder the calibre of the incumbents is in serious decline. I know that PM’s always had advisers but the only one I knew said that Maggie Thatcher listened to the advice and then did exactly what she intended to do in the first place. It looks to me as if this present incompetent has never had an original thought.

By: Denis Cooper

Denis Cooper — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 11:00:34 +0000

It is public money, which is being used for party political purposes.

If I wanted to help the Labour party financially, I’d make a donation – I don’t expect or accept that I should be forced to pay for their activities through my taxes.

Exactly the same, I would emphasise, if it was any other party dipping its sticky fingers into the public purse.

It really is time for the police to investigate this blatant abuse of public resources, aka “theft of taxpayers’ money”, with a view to bringing charges of “misconduct in public office”.

An example needs to be set, or we’ll never cleanse our system of this kind of low-level, continuous, corruption; instead it will grow and spread into all areas of public administration.