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Spin-doctors are associated first and foremost with New Labour, but their roots lie via Clinton's spin machine right back to Charles Bernays' consumerism, in which Bernays used the work of his uncle Sigmund Freud to help the profit-makers to create 'needs'. (Nick Cohen, Observer, 31.3.02: "Crackpot touchy-feely manipulation have replaced reason and ideas in modern politics") Under New Labour however, the spin-doctors do not create these needs, so much as follow them, most notably through their focus groups. It might well be thought that by so doing they re-inforce these needs. But unlike those marketing consumer products, needs can be inconsistent and contradictory. Thus focus groups initially gave low priority to public transport, but blamed the government for the subsequent neglect. Page under construction - interim refs | |
Ongoing Reports
(GU Politics: more on the Labour Party)
"Welcome to the Political Science Resources web page. Because of the changing nature both of politics and of the web, these pages are in a state of permanent revolution. They attempt to offer a gateway to most significant resources relevant to political science."
GU Politics on London (plus more links)
STOP PRESS
BBC2's series on junk food (fast food)
The on-going yarn
Feb 2nd
George Monbiot, Digby Jones, Stephen Timms and more participants from all sides of the debate give their views on whether corporate social responsibility is a real step forward or simply a smokescreen?
Observer special
"Ex-minister critical over inequality, transport - and spin [and] says Labour has failed to deal with inequality ..." writes Patrick Wintour, chief political correspondent in connection with Mandelson's newly published The Blair Revolution Revisited, updating his earlier book on the 'Blair Revolution' (Faber 1996 Review).
Mandelson: taxes may rise (18.05.02)
May 9th
"Alastair Campbell today admits the government has relied on spin for too long, leading to a 'dialogue of the deaf' between ministers and the media which has excluded the public. ..." writes Patrick Wintour, chief political reporter.
April 28th
"Kinnock said Jean-Marie Le Pen's success in France was evidence of the Left's failure to show it had a reason for existing. In a broad indictment of the failure of the Left - in which he singled out 'spin' for special criticism ..." writes Andrew Osborn.
April 14th
Guardian
Comments of former Northern Ireland Secretary in a documentary to be screened in May.
Roy Hattersley, April 15 (Guardian)
"I never did trust that Mo Mowlam"
Labour politics
Primal therapy
"Crackpot touchy-feely manipulation have replaced reason and ideas in modern politics", writes Nick Cohen
"Labour national executive member and editor of the soft left Labour weekly Tribune, [knocked] off the shortlist for the coming byelection in the former mining constituency of Ogmore, south Wales." Seumas Milne.
New Labour spins to a new low
"There have been worse crimes by spin doctors, but few so tasteless and cynical. Less than one hour after both towers in New York had been hit ..." Leader
George Monbiot
"George Monbiot's eye-opening book, Captive State, uncovers a shocking truth: big business has stolen power from the British government and seized control of hospitals, schools, and universities, of Britain’s economy and its legal systems. It is a devastating indictment of the corruption to which political leaders have succumbed. ..."
"It's no longer my party"
""...the party does not belong to Tony Blair, we could rise up against the coup d'état which overthrew the legitimate philosophy" Roy Hattersley
"Labour pollster Philip Gould wrote this memo in early May [2000] to outline where he believes the party is losing his way. Headed 'Getting the right place in history and not the wrong one' it was yesterday leaked to the press." (background, Michael White)
History of Spin
Below will be given references to the history of consumerism and spin, incl high points such as Bernays' assistance to the US's campaign of dis-information against Guatemala.
section under construction
"Crackpot touchy-feely manipulation have replaced reason and ideas in modern politics", writes Nick Cohen.
1999
account of US role in the 1954 coup in Guatemala
...summarised in history notes - from Stefan's Warui Library - in which the part played by Bernays' spin methods is discussed.
1998
...explores the "the career of a man who vigorously promoted cigarette smoking and whose work for the United Fruit Company played at least some role in the 1954 military overthrow of Guatemala's democratically elected government." (Amazon review, Ron Chernow's review in NY Times)
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Spin-doctors
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