When does Government promotion become PR?

The media is an unreliable filter for Governments, from its subjective point of view.

Shallow, callow and petulant, it can take something important and distort it, demolish it on a whim.

Many years ago, republicans decided they would bypass the traditional media in getting their message across. They went in for the ‘modh díreach’, firstly with the establishment of the propaganda newspaper An Phoblacht/Republican News, and then through early adoption of social media and the internet.

Government decides from time to time to do the same when it feels the media is not sufficiently reflecting its great endeavours.

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Such is the case with Project 2040. The highly choreographed launch in Sligo, with a cast of thousands, was widely covered (with plenty of soft coverage), but that was not clearly enough for the Coalition and a Taoiseach that often seems self-obsessed.

The Strategic Communications Unit, in particular, has become the focus of much of the Opposition attack. Its ostensible responsibility is to promote the Government’s work in a co-ordinated way.

But Opposition leaders claim it is more of a PR vehicle for Fine Gael and for Leo Varadkar.

As Pat Leahy reports in our main political story today, the Government has been referred to the Standards in Public Office over the advertising campaign for the national planning framework.

There were ads taken out on television, on radio, in cinemas and in newspapers. The latter appeared in the form of ‘advertorials’, puff reports on full pages that were, in some cases, indistinguishable from normal editorial copy.

As Leahy reports, Fianna Fail has complained to SIPO, asserting that the campaign’s promotion of Government politicians breaks the rules that civil servants should not become involved in political activities, while the Social Democrats have made a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority.

In relation to the newspaper articles, he writes: “Many feature Government politicians prominently while promoting the benefits of the National Development Plan. In some cases, the paid-for content features non-office holders, including Fine Gael TDs, senators and in at least one case, a local councillor who is also selected as a general election candidate.”

A spokeswoman insisted the Department of the Taoiseach did not have final sign-off of the copy included in the advertising features.

Brewing up a storm

Anyone who thinks that an act of God like the so-called Beast from the East is beyond the realm of politics is sorely mistaken.

Of course, all the hot air and bluster in the world can’t ward off snow.

But if a politician blunders in responding to a severe weather event, he or she will end up as the butt of criticism.

The textbook example is the big freeze of early 2010 when Fianna Fáíl’s Noel Dempsey was minister for transport.

He was away on holidays when a bad winter started to turn severe and cause chaos throughout the State, particularly on the roads.

Heavy snows gave way to a few days of hard freezing that compacted the lying snow and rendered the roads treacherous. In Dublin one evening there was chaos.

With Dempsey abroad, it became clear local authorities had insufficient supplies of salt to grit the roads. And with an estimated €180 million in damage to roads, it was quickly highlighted the road repair budget had been slashed by €200 million as the recession bit.

Generally the Government was at sixes and sevens in terms of its response. The tan of the returning Minister was quickly blanched by the criticism.

It was then for the first time the National Emergency Co-ordination Group for Severe Weather met and came into its own. Its contribution has been a staple since then.

Politically, immediate response is the name of the game. In the winter of late 2015, severe flooding throughout the country saw dozens of families living near major rivers lose their homes to rising water.

Then-taoiseach Enda Kenny was caught on the hop and criticised for not visiting the affected families. Like all politicians, he then overcompensated with a high-profile helicopter visit of all areas.

The political playbook determines the response needs to be speedy. There has to be a visible sign of the politician being involved.

Remember the famous images of Bertie Ahern wading through flood waters in his wellies when the River Tolka burst its banks near his own home.

The new Taoiseach was quick to get to Donegal when the flash flooding hit last August. And when Hurricane Ophelia struck in the autumn every Minister that had even the slightest involvement with the response was at battle stations.

It would have done the Strategic Communications Unit proud.