Parody

The libertarian's at Reason TV have decided to produce their take on the half-time ad.





Meanwhile Clint is denying it was pro-Obama while others are claiming some of the creative team were pro-Obama.

Half-time

Last year I was deeply impressed by the Chrysler half-time super-bowl ad.  It worked visually with a superb script that had an emotional punch and a very good example of how to approach brand re-invention.  This year Chrysler tried to produce a successor ad 'Half-time' with the focus on the broader brand rather than a particular car as a means to promote the brand.

Obviously the success and power of the first ad went to someone's head as this ad is a complete failure. Leaving aside the obvious political subtext that can be drawn from it, it simply doesn't work.  Visually it is a mess.  The script tries to link with broader American values but it is done in such a clunky fashion that not even a Clint Eastwood growl can give emotional punch to it.  Chrysler has managed to go from producing a casebook example of how to to a casebook example of how not to.

Ballysally

Ballysally estate is where I grew up from age 5 and now has become the subject of the a BBC documentary.

Ballysally always had a 'bad' reputation often with little justification (and I must admit I'd never heard the term 'Ballyscally' before in my life until this programme).  This 'bad' needs seen through the prism of Coleraine which is a small Northern Ireland town.  It is not Compton, Brixton or the Falls or anything close to that.  Also as my sister would comment everywhere needs somewhere to look down upon and Ballysally happens to be the area chosen in Coleraine. 

However, if you grew up there it allowed you to appreciate the difference in perception and reality.  I had a normal Northern Ireland childhood with loving parents who both worked hard to give my sister and I a better life than they had. In terms of education the local primary school was a good one and started me on the road to educational success.  Many in the broader area would have perceived this as not the norm of the area but it was.

Watching the programme there was the usual trying to identify the streets or parts of the estate.  There was the personal sadness of seeing Philip, a former next door neighbour, who featured briefly at the start of the programme.  I witnessed his descent into alcoholism as a youth and it was sad to see 20 years later drink still has its hold on him.

As with all programing the producers have been trying to infuse it with some deeper meaning.  Whatever they may claim on Nolan this is not brave programming and neither is it about challenging politicians.  It has been done numerous times before and with all such programmes it runs the risk of becoming poverty porn.  The trailer seemed to indicate this is what it would be but the first programme managed to avoid that trap.  Yet the question remains will the avoid it in the remaining episodes?

The big test for me is whether the remaining episodes manage to capture the warmth and connectedness of the estate that has helped it live with and through the problems it has and some of its residents have.

Employment

In between rediscovering that my desk is made of wood rather than combined mounds of paper I have had time to check the locals and it appears Northern Ireland's journos just keep on giving.  Neither is there a continuing vendetta against the Irish News as today's offender is Liam Clarke, the political editor of the Belfast Telegraph.  He claims:

"David Ford is considering resigning as Justice Minister in response to Sinn Fein and DUP plans to scrap the Department of Education and Learning."

Such a move by Ford would seem premature on the basis no such department exists with perhaps John O'Dowd wondering why Ford is making such threats.

Handshake

In my continuing losing battle for journalists to get basic facts right, today's offender is Simon Cunningham of the Irish News:  In a curious article based on a Tom Ekin letter about handshaking etiquette Cunningham claims:

"When Ian Paisley shook hands with Mary McAleese in 2007 it was seen as a defining moment in the peace process."

The famous political handshake of 2007 was surely between Bertie Ahern and Ian Paisley?

Allies

The Guardian has come a bit late to the party regarding how the boundary review will be of significant benefit to the Conservatives.  However, among it all is this little nugget:

"With the Conservatives' longstanding allies in Northern Ireland, the DUP, projected to have won seven seats, the Conservatives could have commanded a slim majority without having to enter into coalition with the Liberal Democrats."

David Cameron's attacks on the DUP and the entire UCUNF project seem to have slipped their Guardian's notice. However, one of the DUP messages in the 2010 election was the prospect of a hung parliament.  It did appear to have some juice with the voters. 

Balance

Following on from IJP's argument about the local media and its need to improve, as well as investigation it would help if they got basic facts right.  According to the Irish News' political correspondent, Diana Rusk, the 2011 Belfast City Council result was:

"...a turning point in local government politics when a slump in the unionist vote saw the balance of power switch to Alliance."

Perhaps she was unaware of the 1997, 2001 and 2005 local government elections in Belfast.

Travers

The appointment of Mary McArdle, a member of the PIRA murder gang that murdered Mary Travers (and attempted to kill her mother and father), has raised a number of issues which are already being discussed around the unsuitability of the appointment, a review of the process of appointment already underway and the predictable Stalinist line from Sinn Fein where keeping the old comrades sweet takes its usual high priority over basic political sense.  However, there are three side issues that have not been particularly touched on.

First, there is media treatment of victims.  The three families of victims have managed to gain and maintain significant media attention for their particular cases.  These are the McCartney family, Raymond McCord and now the Travers family. Beyond the persistence of the families and articulacy in the media there is a consistency in their experience. Namely that the perpetrators and victims were drawn from the same nominal community.  Is this consistency a coincidence or does the media draw a conscious or unconscious distinction between murders within and murders between the communities here?

Second, is the easy ride that the SDLP have been given on the issue.  They have been vocal in their support for the Travers family.  However, this is the SDLP that supported the release of terrorists early from prison.  This is the SDLP, as IJP points out, that backed an IRA bomber being appointed a Mayor within days of objecting to McArdle's appointment. This is the SDLP that refuses to support reform to the definition of an victim. Ponder this for a moment if the police had shot the armed McArdle in the follow-up operation rather than arrested her then the SDLP position is that Mary McCardle and Mary Travers would have the exact same status of victimhood.

Third, some have been surprised by the reaction to this appointment.  They shouldn't.  The selective nature of the examination of our past so far was going to cause a build-up of anger which would attach itself to a particualr issue.  However something more significant could be happening.  The decisions of dubious morality that are taken to end a conflict are not always validated by time. Hence, the lack of furore about Leo Green's appointment but the anger about Mary McArdle's.  Sometimes past decisions are rejected by those who come after because the recognise the dangers they hold for a better society.  Perhaps Northern Ireland will prove to be one of those places.

Schoolboy

It has been a day of schoolboy errors in the media.  In the Belfast Telegraph their political editor Liam Clarke's column can't get basic facts correct:

"They [Sinn Fein] came out ahead in the European Election in 2009 but the DUP had replaced their key vote-getter - Ian Paisley - with a new candidate in Diane Dodds, who had just lost a council seat."

Ian Paisley had stood down at the previous European Election in 2004 not the 2009 election and Diane Dodds lost her Assembly seat not her Council seat.  

Meanwhile the BBC NI website can't get the name of the Deputy Leader of the Ulster Unionist Assembly group, John McCallister, correct.  On its report of the latest UUP split/spat it manages to call him two different things "John McAllister" in the text and "Jim McAllister" under the photo of McNarry.

Scoop

Today Eamonn Mallie believed he had a scoop when Martin McGuinness made claims of the UUP seeking funding for an opposition from the Government.  Problem is Devenport Diaries had the story yesterday from an NIO source. The same NIO source said the request had been turned down.

"An NIO source told me this has been raised by the UUP. But there are no plans to include it in the "Normalisation Bill" due to deal with political donations and double jobbing. That bill is currently expected in 2013. Of course any party can choose not to take seats in the Executive. However, in contrast to Westminster, there is no funding or official recognition for a Stormont "opposition". My source suggests the question of funding might be one for the Assembly Commission, which manages Stormont, rather than the NIO."

The saleability of the demand for money isn't easy in good times never mind the difficult times we are in and it undermines the claim to a principled stance - we believe in X but only if there is cash for doing X.

Accents

As local accents go they aren't half bad:



Historical background information here.

At their work?

How are more ministers not on the Nolan show?  Perhaps they are working with their officials to deal with news they received less than 24 hours ago? 

Suck it up

Over on Spectator Coffee House an odd justification of secularist attacks on the papal visit and Catholic Church:

"But should they really mind? Isn’t Christianity supposed to be all about suffering and persecution? Rather than moaning about prejudice, Catholics should welcome it."

Welcoming a prejudice?  Why is a secular prejudice to be accepted?  Equally criticism around the covering up of child abuse has nothing to do with belief in God so castigation for it is not the same as castigation for a particular religious belief.  Also if an evangelical Protestant were to commence the argument none of this applies anyway because the Catholic Church isn't Christian would that be a 'prejudice' that needed a response or borne like the secularists?  Perhaps it is all more an example of how confused the media approach to religion and what is and isn't acceptable to say and by who has become?

Justice

The referee of yesterday's match has now admitted their error after watching the video footage.  The second penalty should not have been awarded.

Daylight Robbery

There were calls for a FIFA investigation following the politicians versus media football match this afternoon at the new Playball facility in the Stormont grounds.  The politicians scored twice from open play, the DUP's Paul Givan and Alliance's Chris Lyttle both beating the media's skilful keeper Mark Simpson.  The media clawed the result back to 2 all thanks to two penalties including a very dubious second handball decision.  In the penalty shoot-out the media eeked out a 4-3 win.

The BBC's Stephen Nolan was the only player carded for a vicious tackle.  Questions are also being asked of the politicians manager, Dawn Purvis, who failed to intervene earlier with the entertaining but dodgy keeping of Kieran McCarthy.

Insanity, who decides?

Dan Hannan uses a Rod Liddle post to challenge the group-think in the BBC.

Indoctrination

On the issue of crossing lines of taste and decency Andrew Bolt highlights a new Greenpeace video:

On the issue of children and environmentalism, as a new consumer of children's TV, the emphasis upon environmentalism is a persistent and strong theme in the programming.  This development and the removal of any Christian element, replaced instead by spiritualist crystals and 'yogo', are the two significant shifts from my childhood memories of such programming.

An Alternative Media Strategy - A Critique

Sarah Palin may be enjoying success with new media but Toby Harnden isn't impressed.  Beyond the media storms that it creates and hampers free speech he believes it is adding little.  Focusing on the Obama administration he argues:

"New technology has enabled Obama to bypass anyone who will ask him tough questions...The Obama administration, which came into being amid promises of a new transparency, has even used its own staff to conduct an interview with Elena Kagan, the Supreme Court nominee to produce an infomercial for the White House website. So it looks like openness but really it's just advertising."

On Palin he says:

"Republicans are scarcely any better. Sarah Palin, who could yet be the 2012 Grand Old Party presidential nominee, communicates with the public almost entirely via Facebook postings and cosy set pieces on Fox News. And it doesn't seem to be doing her too much harm."

He believes the reality isn't fulfiling the theory:

"In theory, social media and the web allows politicians to communicate directly with the public and circumvent the mainstream press. Alas, it also means they can avoid proper scrutiny and control exactly what they say while creating the illusion of interaction with ordinary people."

This is hardly surprising - message management can just about game whatever medium is invented.

Why the caveat?

I saw some of the Politics Show on Sunday having its review debate.  However, what struck me as somewhat odd was Rick Wilford's caveat to criticism of Catriona Ruane (53.10 minutes in):

"I'm not making a sectarian point here..."

Why is such a caveat thought necessary? Especially with someone whose credentials as an independent authority are obvious.

PS I made the point in the blogpost below about media skew.  The panel in this programme was a demonstration of that with no one holding views representative/close to the largest Unionist party.  This led to the brief discussion on Unionist Unity being highly negative and was left unchallenged.

An Alternative Media Strategy

Sarah Palin may be the person liberal America loves to hate but the New Republic has an interesting piece of how she has developed a highly successful media strategy to maintain public prominence following the failed McCain campaign and her resignation as Alaska Governor.  At its heart is new media:

"Her byline pops up now and again in the opinion pages (supporting McCain, bashing enviros). She periodically hits the campaign trail with favored candidates. She is a prolific and passionate tweeter. Her Facebook page overflows with thoughts on global events both past (DDay, Reagan’s Brandenburg Gate speech) and present (Israel, border security, the need to drill, baby, drill); news of upcoming appearances (a rally at the Lincoln Memorial with Glenn Beck, a possible U.K. jaunt to meet Margaret Thatcher); the latest media atrocities committed against her; and her rolling endorsements of “commonsense conservative” candidates who tickle her fancy. And, any day now, filming is scheduled to start on the docu-travelogue series in which Palin will “bring the wonder and majesty of Alaska” to TLC viewers."

It argues that it suits her own personality:

"It suits her core strengths—passion, pithiness, and a mind-boggling magnetism—and, let’s face it, it’s so much easier than the conventional model."

Also that despite the dismissal of her abilities, it is a strategy that she may well be the creator of:

"Any political strategist who orchestrated such brilliant success via such unconventional means would instantly be dubbed the p.r. genius of our time. But, as far as we know, there is no crack communications team charting Palin’s course. At some point, even Palin haters may have to face the possibility that the p.r. genius is Sarah herself."

UPDATE Spectator Blogger Alex Massie has a blog on the topic of Sarah Palin and a run in 2012.  He says:

"...she's not been playing the game according to the Beltway Playbook but that's exactly the point"

He points to a recent Time article which makes the point that unorthodox approaches is the way Palin does things:

"In many ways, Palin's moves mirror her run for governor. She came from the outside, taking down the GOP establishment, including the formidable Governor Frank Murkowski. She stayed on the outside for months, not bothering to build a campaign but delivering key speeches across the state attacking “the old boys club” that raised speculation she'd potentially run. And, finally, when she did announce her campaign burst into life fully formed."