ONE fundamental requirement of governments is the need for transparency with their constituency – the people who voted them in.
Governments spare little expense when it comes to employing public relations professionals whose job it is to craft messaging which paints their employer in a good light.
They are there to ensure people are made aware of good ideas, opportunities for funding, and law changes which make their way through parliament.
They are also there to ensure anything negative stays away from the eyes of a curious public, to dilute the perceptions of negative media, and to “manage” a crisis.
While their role is necessary in the public service, the spin doctors can at times take the sublime to the ridiculous.
Today’s front page is no exception. The government thought it was a good idea to tell people that they were doing a great job to identify ways to fix the social housing crisis.
Rule number 1 when “managing” a crisis is to own the problem – which they’ve done. However, in this instance they’ve forgotten the detail.
The “Nothing to see here, folks” approach is as old as it is condescending to the people it is intending to fool. If a good idea is actually good, governments will usually share the detail and allow people to join the journey.
