A little passion goes a long way in PR
Friday, February 6th, 2009 by Jon Clements
It’s rare I last as late as the BBC’s weekly, televised political shouting match, Question Time. But the great DVD I was watching last night “borked” (teen speak for broken technology, kids), leaving me no option but to tune in.
And I’m glad I did, as the polar differences between being an effective spokesperson for your cause and looking like a weasel were placed in stark relief.
In the red corner, Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights organisation Liberty; and in the blue corner, Geoff Hoon, secretary of state for Transport.
The audience question focused on the Government’s insistence to the High Court that files about a terrorist suspect - who alleges torture by British and American agents - should remain secret because of national security.
Sure, it’s Chakrabarti’s brief to be indignant about these matters, but she was incandescent with rage. When in full flow, stabbing the air with her finger and trying (but failing) not to give Hoon a sideways glance of pure contempt, you wanted to go with her, right back to that High Court, and demand summary justice. Leaving aside the complexities of the case, it was clear who the audience was backing on this one.
Hoon - not the most charismatic of contemporary politicians - had the expression of a man looking into the abyss as he realised what he had to follow. And he made the mistake of describing his adversary’s monologue as “emotional”, which inadvertently emphasised his utter lack of emotion. To the audience, that says: “I can’t get emotional about torture”. Not great, as Obama is calling time on Guantanamo and all its associations with human rights abuses. OK, it’s not Hoon’s ministerial brief, but on Question Time he is the Government, and the image conveyed was icier than a country lane in Cornwall this week.
An unusual addition to the programme’s panel this week was the singer, Will Young. Not sure what the programme makers expected him to add (a degree in politics doesn’t automatically make you a spokesman for a generation), but Guardian blogger, Heidi Stephens, was thoroughly pleased with Will’s contribution. Call me a killjoy, but I’d rather he concentrated on singing. And even then…
