Monday, September 04, 2006
Faking it
It was reported on the radio this morning that Labour Cabinet Ministers are to go out into the community and do some real jobs so as to re-engage with working people. Peter Hain for example, told listeners that he intends to get his hands dirty at TRW, a car component manufacturer in his Neath constituency.
The results of this little PR exercise will be filmed and shown to the Labour Conference in Manchester, presumably supported by suitably inspiring music and soft lighting. It does rather remind me of the old Communist propaganda films of workers happily labouring away so as to meet the latest targets in the Government's five year plan, that were stock footage for many years in certain countries behind the old Iron curtain.
I am sure that a lot of workers will be delighted to have the Secretary of State for Wales working alongside them, however I am sure that they would be happier if he left the cameras behind and engaged with them because he wanted to rather than to meet the exigencies of a political spinning war.
On the other hand I hear that some Cabinet members have been denied the opportunity to be filmed trying out their first choice job. This is a shame, because Gordon Brown would only have had to walk next door to take up his post.
The results of this little PR exercise will be filmed and shown to the Labour Conference in Manchester, presumably supported by suitably inspiring music and soft lighting. It does rather remind me of the old Communist propaganda films of workers happily labouring away so as to meet the latest targets in the Government's five year plan, that were stock footage for many years in certain countries behind the old Iron curtain.
I am sure that a lot of workers will be delighted to have the Secretary of State for Wales working alongside them, however I am sure that they would be happier if he left the cameras behind and engaged with them because he wanted to rather than to meet the exigencies of a political spinning war.
On the other hand I hear that some Cabinet members have been denied the opportunity to be filmed trying out their first choice job. This is a shame, because Gordon Brown would only have had to walk next door to take up his post.
