It Ain’t What You Say!

The General Election creeps closer, the politicians begin their campaigns to attract our vote. The slogans start to appear and “The Experts” offer their advice and comment to all and sundry on a wide range of subjects. One set of Economists tell us one thing, another set says the opposite. It reminded me of a comment a speaker at the Annual Conference of the Institute of Directors once made. He said “If you put all the economists head to toe in line it would circle the Equator… but you still wouldn’t reach a conclusion”. The audience smiled, they knew exactly what he meant. On another subject under debate , “Global Warming is already upon us” says one group of scientists, another group disagree and says there is no evidence to support the theory. And a third…The “Bash the Bankers” lobby assure us that now large sections of the banking business are owned by “The taxpayer” they will put a stop to bonuses, whereupon Barclays, who are financed in the way all banks used to be funded, return incredibly high profits and pay impressive bonuses to their employees. Lastly, another of our famous businesses is gobbled up by a foreign company, our politicians assure the workforces that they “Use every effort to protect jobs etc etc…” A week later the new owners announce closures and workforce reductions. Who are we to believe? Perhaps we should closely examine all statements that bear upon matters that are so crucial to our lives and before reaching a conclusion establish which side of the political spectrum those offering the ‘Expert Advice’ are coming from.
 
All political parties engage the services of advertising agencies and marketing advisors, in addition they consult journalists from the media that support their policies. The advice they receive from these sources determine how they approach the electorate. “It ain’t what you say, it’s the way that you say it” becomes the order of the day. As a basic premise I’ve no quarrel with political parties seeking advice on how to approach their audiences. It makes sense to do so, after all, the advisors earn their living by using such knowledge every day. Where I part company with the practice is at the point when, the way things are said, becomes more important than what is being said. And that, in this enlightened age, seems to be happening all to frequently. How many times, when questioned about something the leader of the party has said, have you heard a politician say. ”No,no, what he really meant was……” and then go on to assert that what was said really meant something entirely different? I suspect that this General Election is going to turn the spotlight on those seeking election closer than ever before. What they say will be much, much more important than the way they say it whatever the advice from “The Experts”.
 
I don’t know about you, but to me the winter seems to be going on forever. I haven’t been able to work my allotment for ages. Snow, ice, rain, fog, we’ve had it all. So is it surprising that many find it hard to believe in the Global Warming message governments around the world are emphasising? One group of scientists assure us that it’s a fact of life and another tells us there’s no evidence. We see scenes on the telly of icebergs melting and polar bears wandering disconsolately across a snowfield, (has someone told them their time is up?) and other creatures at both polar caps are reported to be suffering in one way or another as a result of the atmosphere getting warmer. Well I am not nearly clever enough to know whether Global Warming is a fact or a figment of someone’s imagination. My common sense tells me that if man chops down all the trees, continually fouls the atmosphere with pollutants of all kinds and allows materials to go on being wasted at the current levels, something must suffer. So the sooner governments give a definitive lead on this matter the better. Perhaps by concentrating on the way they’ve been telling us they have confused what they have been trying to say? 
 
 
Finally: The announcement from Barclays that they had made record profits should have been a matter of at least relief, if not great joy. Here was one of our biggest banks bucking the trend and actually posting enormous profits. As a reward for the performance their directors and staff are awarded bonuses. All legal and well earned. Do the politicians congratulate them? Is the news greeted with loud cheers? No!!! They are denigrated for paying bonuses. The politics of envy show themselves again. I bet when the banks the Government hold shares in announce profits that match Barclays, if they ever do, there will be a shout of triumph so loud they’ll hear it in the space station. Every politician in the country will claim some credit for the success. Let’s hope they can make such announcements soon and then the Government can sell the shares they own in the banks, hopefully at a profit, and life will return to normal….until the next time.