Take a bow, New Labour
How utterly chilling. How utterly fitting…
It is the world’s largest political party and has held absolute power for 60 years through state control and media censorship. So when the Chinese Communist party decided to overhaul its propaganda machine, there was only one place to look: the spin tactics of New Labour.
A fine achievement for 12 years in office no? That one of the most revolting regimes on the planet would look to your techniques for corralling information and public opinion? That one of the most secretive, censorious, and controlling governments on the planet thinks it has things to learn from you? That you inspire murderers and thugs?
Posted on March 23rd, 2009 at 8:12am under New Labour
*wipes a tear*
It makes you proud to be British.
How utterly delicious. Although should be pointed out that if one particular group has maintained control over a country for 60 years it’s not a political party, rather more like a gang, a huge gang of thugs, bit like the Crips or the Bloods.
But it is telling that the Chinese ruling gang focussed on Blair-run Britain rather than a democratic nation where the governing party does what the public want it to.
Well, the Wehrmacht learned how to run armoured offensives from reading Liddell Hart, but I don’t think he felt particularly guilty about that. Nor should he.
And, if you read the article rather than just the headline, the main lesson that the Chinese are taking away from studying the SARS and BSE outbreaks is “don’t try to spin everything, because people are mature enough to handle bad news sometimes”.
I admit that this doesn’t fit into the narrative of ZaNu LieBore Evil!!! but life is tough sometimes.
Ok.
If you think the Chinese are looking to our media management skills for the benefit of their people, I’d argue that the 2001 Foot and Mouth outbreak is the wrong example. I’m sure the Chinese government will pay particular attention to this from the government’s submission to the 2002 inquiry into the outbreak…
There are also lessons to be learned in relation to action that should be taken to present Government policies abroad when the UK media is concentrating on negative stories, and being picked up overseas. In this case effort needs to be directed to communications which provide positive information focused on the particular concerns of individual countries.
Like most of these things, the government refused a public inquiry.
No, I’m arguing that the Chinese government is not looking to the UK to learn to be more secretive, censorious, murderous or thuggish, as the post implied.