pr-media-blog.co.uk

A few titbits;

•  DJ Collins, Google’s Head of Comms, has recently been outed, firstly here and then in PR Week,  as David Miliband’s ‘media man’. He’s the guy guiding Joe 90 on a road to media adulation to match his mentor, Tony Blair’s rise in the mid 90s.  So why was DJ part of Gordon’s speechwriting team? My source says it was a clever move to get Miliband’s top spin-meister into the tent and focus Miliband’s camp on the common aim. May be that’s why Miliband was so careful in his speech not to be seen as throwing too much red meat to Gordon-baiters?

• In those three weeks while Gordon was on holiday Southwold District Council got more coverage than the Labour government. Team Gordon seemed to forget that just because the PM is ‘out of office’ doesn’t mean that political journalists switch to become sports journalists. They still have space to fill so why did they let the Tories fill it for them? Andy Coulson is clearly more aware of how to fill a newspaper than Brown’s spindoctor, Damien McBride. I understand that McBride was berated in the bar of the Midland Hotel at 3am this morning and just ‘didn’t get it’.

• There’s increasing talk that the Mirror’s Political Editor, Kevin Maguire, may finally relent and take up the media role at Number 10. The Party wants an attack dog, who understands the issues, understands the press, understands the Party and will agressively go after the Tories. Kevin has Labour stamped through him like a stick of rock. He’s a Party member and his Mum plays an active role up in the north east I believe. He’s also extremely bright and a brilliant journalist. He’s always said he couldn’t do it as he would never want to lie to a journalist. He’s thinking if he doesn’t do it now he might never do it. And he wouldn’t need to lie!

• And finally well done John Prescott. He’s the nearest that Labour’s got to the ‘Straight Talk Express’ and now he’s no longer in Cabinet he’s even more direct. He talks like the people or at least a huge proportion of them who otherwise just switch off when they hear Estuary English and a pre-programmed soundbite. His interview with Paxman was a corker. No official messaging, no buzzwords, no dancing round the issues. He put Paxo in his place. Look forward to more of that as Gordon uses him to say the things that Cabinet Minsiters can’t say.

You can’t escape the fact that David M has this week had what we call in the trade a well orchestrated media media strategy.

He’s been getting help from a well qualified source, Google Head of Comms, DJ (David John) Collins. I think its only on an informal basis but he’s a smart guy. I saw DJ speak at an event at Leeds Met, and as you’d expect from the chief media guy at one of the world’s most successful new media companies, he’s a genius when it comes to understanding the changes taking place in society in terms of how to connect with audiences and who people trust.

 Never has this been more important in politics, especially for a government seen as tired, tainted and out of touch and a (potential) candidate who is not a natrual man of the people.

Also on board is David Lammy MP, former beau of June Sarpong, and a believer in using new ways to engage with voters.

Music to my ears. Am more excited by all of this than I was on Wednesday morning.