ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the generative role of changes in government communication practices in response to the rise of the new multi-channel environment during the 1980s. It deals with some predictions about the direction of travel, and some thoughts on possible solutions to the problem of public distrust in government communication. A series of critical government and parliamentary reviews into government communications also blamed political actors, and called for a return to a less partisan style of public communication in order to rebuild trust. The chapter outlines the methodological approach and reflecting on the generative role of history in influencing the actions of political and media elites, both in the UK and elsewhere. The Conservative Party had successfully applied political marketing techniques during the 1979 election, and once in power sought to implement a more persuasive style of communication that later came to be known as ‘political spin.’
