07 May 2008
A missed opportunity
The new Parliamentary visitors centre is at long last open. And what a shuddering disappointment it is. Since some bright spark realised that searching people for explosives once they had entered the building defeated the purpose of the search and moved the search point from inside St Stephen’s Entrance onto the pavement outside Parliament there has been a long running saga of where to site the search facilities. For a time they resided in a makeshift tent outside Parliament’s main pedestrian entrance. At risk of being blown away by strong gusts, the tent was cold and must have been a very unpleasant place to work. The semi-marquee was then replaced by a pair of black PortaKabin-type temporary buildings plonked right outside Parliament. Whilst functional they hardly did justice to Parliament’s World Heritage Site status and were a little rickety. But fret not, we were told, for over the horizon was a new security block and visitors’ centre that would make entering Parliament a joy. And so the saga of the new visitors centre continued.
The new search point opened a few weeks ago, tucked away just off Cromwell Green after what has seemed an incredible time being built, remodelled, and tinkered with. The end result is an architecturally curious block awkwardly bolted onto the side of Westminster Hall. I’m not a fan. The search facilities themselves are, I concede, functional. Sure, you have to queue on a ramp to get to the facility, but this is at least out of the way of Westminster’s tourists. And, yes, the door to the block is a little hard to open and the room itself a little tight with three search points (rather than the previous two) stuffed inside. But that is not what really annoys me about this – it is the missed opportunity to do something really unique and groundbreaking with the entrance.
There was a lot of talk about the new search point being the access point to a new visitors centre – yet to open – with helpful guides showing the way. And, to be fair, there are a few said smiley people who not loiter alongside the many, many Policemen in plastic coats branded with the Parliamentary portcullis logo outside St Stephen’s Entrance, but not enough. The security bolt on, vomited out as it has been next to Parliament fits uncomfortably with the environment that surrounds it. There are no public display billboards, new displays about the history of the building, and besides the ever-present security guard, still nothing that gives visitors a sense of what is inside the building or even the logistical ‘please do this to make your trip through security easier’ type posters.
I’m really disappointed as this could have been an example par excellence of how to welcome visitors to a public building. It is the Mother of all Parliaments after all. The new security block doesn’t live up to its billing but I guess it will just have to grow on me. That is until some bright spark suggests moving it again…watch this space.
» Posted by Luke Pollard, Account Director, Edelman UK | Comments (0)
06 May 2008
Hairdressers for Boris!
I spent the Bank Holiday weekend in rural Worcestershire at a friend’s wedding. I was amazed at the number of people who kept asking me – knowing what I do for a living – how the London Mayoral election was going and whether Boris was going to win. Even those guests who didn’t live in London seemed to have an extremely keen eye on the result. The fortunes of very few politicians arouse such interest from the mass of the public as have Mr Johnson’s.
I suspect the wedding party did not consist of what you might call hard core Labour voters, even the 97 landslide did not see Tony Blair anywhere near victory in this part of the world. Nevertheless, there were plenty of people there who were not committed Tories either. Yet almost ALL of them seemed to have voted for BoJo. I was particularly struck by the vote of one of my dearest pals – a very bright, professional, articulate person; interested in issues, but not the least political. She told me that having thought hard about it she resolved – with a slightly heavy heart – to vote for Ken. Yep, she’d looked into it and Ken was her man. On her way to the polling station she stopped to get her hair done – nattering to her stylist she asked how he had voted. “Oh, for Boris” he said “he looks like such a laugh…..” etc etc. “Go on, vote for Bozza!” he implored. And on that basis she headed to the polling booth and put her cross in the Tory column – not only for Mayor, but for Assembly and List too. Emerging from the polling station, as if reawakening from hypnosis, she suddenly thought “Omigod, what did I just do?”
I’m not sure whether this tells us more about the power of Boris Johnson or the power of hairdressers. Either way, it’s clear the Conservatives in London put together a coalition of support far beyond their normal reach. If the hairdressers are voting Conservative, Mr Brown should be very worried indeed – they seem to be an influential bunch!
» Posted by James Lundie, Associate Director, Edelman UK | Comments (0)
06 May 2008
Why aren’t all trains wireless?
A few years ago wireless was something of a wonder and a rare thing to find in public spaces. It is now the norm and increasingly you are going to see entire cities turned wireless as we demand more and more interactivity on the move. Edelman branded people who are not only web 2.0 addicts but advocates of new technology, connectivity and interactivity as ‘super users’ and has commissioned quite a lot of research on how to attract this vanguard group to new products and services in the past year.
Now, apparently I’m a super user if you look at my demographic and technology use (read addicted to Facebook, Twitter, constantly playing on my mobile and exploring new web 2.0 applications). An increasingly common perspective amongst superusers is, so I am told, is that connectivity blackspots are driving us mad. I must agree. I spend about seven hours a week commuting back and forth to London from Plymouth and the lack of wireless internet on the train is increasingly frustrating. Now, I realise I’m a demanding tech user – as most superusers are apparently, but for me connectivity is no longer a nice-to-have it is a basic requirement. Travel companies should look to their colleagues in the coffee shop industry and get wireless. They might even make a few more of their customers a tad happier in the process.
» Posted by Luke Pollard, Account Director, Edelman UK | Comments (0)
30 April 2008
Adam Boulton
Adam Boulton, Political Editor of Sky News and possibly the most broadcast journalist on television, talks to Edelman about the London Mayoral race, Brown’s current political situation, the impact of technology on the media and the US elections. Please click here to see the video.
» Posted by Amna Ahmad, Junior Account Executive, Edelman UK | Comments (0)
29 April 2008
Chasing second preferences
Last night I was fortunate to attend the last of many live televised London mayoral debates on Sky News. There is not doubt that the principal candidates and campaigns have had their fair share of airtime in the past weeks with televised debates on all the major channels. David Cameron has on occasion challenged Gordon Brown to a similar type of debate at a national political level. An idea that I believe, if executed in the correct way focusing on key public issues, could be beneficial. These debates have given the public the chance to get up close and personal with the candidates and to ask the questions that matter most to them. Also, the viewing public who often never get round to reading manifestos have had multiple opportunities to spend time listening to what the candidates stand for and how they stand up to often tricky questioning from Londoners.
I have watched many debates in the last weeks on all the major channels, but last night the candidates all seemed more focused than in many of the other recent debates I have seen, there was less of the petty wrangling between the three. Each instead seemed to be more focused on his own performance rather than heckling and arguing with the other candidates. The one thing I would take away from the last night’s performance was Boris’ continuous open acknowledgment throughout the evening of his agreement with many of Brian Paddick’s views and policies. For example, the issue of tackling crime which both publicly agreed was not just about employing more police but ensuring that they do the right jobs; that they are on the beat protecting the public, not filling out paperwork back at the station. Many polls in recent days have narrowed the difference between the front runners and so Boris appears to have changed tack slightly, debating tactically and chasing the second preference from the Lib Dems perhaps? When asked at the end of the debate who he would give his second preference to, Boris bumbled avoiding the question. Nevertheless, all through the evening his outspoken embrace of many of Brian Paddick’s polices suggested that he did have a preference, one that he maybe wanted to seamlessly plant in the minds of all those Liberal Democrat supporters watching. Ken Livingstone on the other hand answered that he would support the Green Party’s Sian Berry.
Maybe if Boris wins on Thursday he should offer Paddick a job, chief adviser on crime and policing perhaps?
» Posted by Mark Hadley, Account Executive, Edelman UK | Comments (0)