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January 12, 2006updated 22 Nov 2022 5:56pm

Maximum Impact 13.01.06

By Press Gazette

IT WOULD be interesting to know how the Lib Dem PR machine handled the various inquiries about Charles Kennedy’s drinking habits over the past 18 months. I can only assume that, as MCA is the only PR organisation that admits to being economical with the truth when answering probing media questions on our clients, the journalists must have been told the full truth at all times and taken it upon themselves not to reveal it to the public. No doubt all will be revealed in PR Week, which is always so open, honest and revealing about the realities of the public relations world.

With regard to Charles Kennedy’s potential successor, it might be preferable to go with someone who is tee-total. Sir Menzies Campbell is undoubtedly a safe and experienced pair of hands, the problem is that he is also, these days, ancient in political terms. Market research has shown that young and fresh-faced politicians are best – even though inexperienced – when looking to find a potential superstar leader for your party. It worked for the young Tony Blair years ago and it’s been amazingly successful for David Cameron in more recent times.

As it’s become increasingly obvious that image is far more important than reality, surely the Lib Dems are capable of coming up with a Tony/David lookalike to give them a real chance of success and to build on what Charles Kennedy achieved in spite of his drinking problem?

INTERESTING to observe how George Galloway uses his Big Brother TV platform as his own personal PR campaign. Clearly it is to endear him to the millions of potential voters who watch this programme.

Most probably he thinks he can’t do any harm to his public image as the media have only ever attacked him, and that he has nothing to lose by addressing the British public directly. Unfortunately however George, no matter how persuasive and convincing you are on this freak show, the damage to your credibility purely by being on it will far outweigh any positive impact you might achieve.

YOU couldn’t make it up. Well possibly I could, but I didn’t! Married father-of-one, Colin Bone, aged 60, one of Britain’s leading gynaecologists, has decided to transform himself into Miss Celia MacLeod. He has already started a three-month conversion by undergoing female hormone treatment to increase the size of his boobs. While I have, and still do, know many journalists, and even the odd PR man, obsessed with the exploration of female organs, but to my knowledge I have never known one yet who wants a set of his own.

From the bizarre to the ridiculous – by pretending to be famous she’s becoming famous. I’m glad to see that my latest signing, Big Brother’s Chantelle Houghton, is proving what I have always said – often fame has absolutely nothing to do with talent these days.

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The fee for this column is donated to CHASE (Christopher’s) Children’s Hospital

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