ABSTRACT
T he headlines above refer to the recent resignation of Alastair Campbell, the ‘realDeputy Prime Minister’ (Guardian, 29 August 2003) and British Prime MinisterTony Blair’s most trusted adviser over a ten-year period during which Blair went from being leader of the opposition to the only Labour prime minister to win two successive elections. Campbell’s significance will be examined later in this chapter. For now it is enough to note that the kind of media story, indicated by the headlines from The Times and the Independent, is part of a pattern. In fact, it seems that almost every week public relations is pilloried for its role in contaminating and corrupting the political process in Britain. Spin doctoring, negative campaigning and the pernicious influence of lobbyists are all highlighted as examples of how public relations has degraded the political process. There are frequent calls to return to a type of political activity where somewhat dubious persuasive tactics had no place. Headlines in the press like those quoted above are nothing new and periodically there are obituaries vis-à-vis ‘spin’; for example, ‘Blair ally: we must end spin’ (Observer, 16 June 2002), ‘Prescott bins the
spin for real policies’ (Independent, 30 December 1998).1 This presumption, frequently asserted by the media and politicians, implying a tainting effect of public relations on British political culture, should be questioned. Indeed, it could be argued, the media, politicians and public relations specialists are increasingly bound together in a relationship that the media and politicians find more beneficial than they care to admit.
