Archive for April, 2010:

The pack mentality of the media is a wonderfully powerful thing. To be observed and appreciated at a respectful distance – a bit like a killer whale. This was witnessed by us all who sat enthralled watching Sky News through Wednesday afternoon as the cringe-inducing horror of what became known as ‘bigotgate’ unfolded. Once a story of this kind begins it is really difficult – perhaps impossible – to control. In an earlier post I talked about the necessity for a ‘speed kills’ attitude to communications which will ensure that day-to-day management of the news can be achieved. With bigotgate we saw…

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Post Debate polls:

Lazarus/Channel 4 News: Brown 44%, Clegg: 42% Cameron 13%
YouGov/Sun: Cameron 41%, Clegg 32%, Brown 25%
ComRes/ITV News: Cameron 35%, Clegg 33%, Brown 26%
Populus/Times: Cameron 38%, Clegg 38%, Brown 25%
ICM/Guardian: Cameron 35%, Brown 29%, Clegg 27%
Angus Reid/Political Betting: Cameron 36%, Clegg 30%, Brown 23%

Brown directly spoke about the Duffy incident in last night’s third and final TV debate, admitting that he does not always get things right but that he does get it right ‘on the economy’. The BBC spun it as the most argumentative of the debates and…

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So now we have the defining image of the election campaign: Brown, head in hands, sinking into his seat. It was taken half an hour after he insulted a lifelong Labour voter, and presumably minutes after he realised he had a mild PR crisis on his hands. It is not exactly the image of a dynamic leader, full of energy and ambition, ready to take the country through the recovery.
The scale of this gaffe is unprecedented. Fortunately for Brown, he has a chance tonight to attempt to make amends. The third and final TV debate is his only hope to be able to draw a line under the Duffy affair. It is unlikely he will h…

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Gordon Brown this afternoon beat a path to ‘insulted voter’ Gillian Duffy’s home in Rochdale as part of a hastily cobbled together damage limitation exercise after this morning’s unfortunate incident with a microphone. Needless to say, it was a debacle. We understand Brown phoned her but that was not enough – he had to go and visit. Cue the Prime Minister emerging from her home to a media scrum, Mrs Duffy’s front door slamming shut behind him – presumably under the steam of the lady herself. If Gordon had hoped for a late love-in with Gillian, he would have been left bitterl…

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When Gillian Duffy got up this morning, the last thing she thought would happen would be to get called a ‘bigot’ by the Prime Minister, leaving her humiliated and upset in front of the nation live on Sky News. Insulting the voters was probably not high on Labour’s grid, either.
But so it came to pass.
‘It was very nice to see you’  Brown said to her as he left for his car. Seconds later, he was broadcast live saying ‘she’s just a sort of a bigoted woman.. ‘. Duffy was not the only one who faced his wrath: ‘I should never have been put in front of her…..who did that…Sue I think’.
Will this play into the ha…

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