Archive
Year: 2011
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Will you leave us alone? Not likely.
November 18, 2011
I’ve been spending quite a bit of time recently with industries which might be described as ‘beleaguered’. The press have decided that they are evil and to blame for society’s ills. The online world is awash with negative comment as people pile in to criticize. Politicians denounce them and regulators sharpen their knives. In many cases it’s all tremendously unfair, and certainly they think so, but as we know this is not really the point...
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Challenge: Internship. Approach: Coffee. Implementation: Still following outlined procedure. Outcome: To be confirmed.
November 17, 2011
Wednesday 2 November 2011: a significant and anticipated day in my diary for two reasons. Not only did this day mark the fact that I have been working for Fleishman-Hillard for exactly two months, but it also marked the milestone of my 21st Birthday. Taking both of these events into account, now seems like a great time to expose the true thoughts of an overly keen intern entering the manic world of public affairs. In the...
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Is the climate right for change?
November 14, 2011
Not so long ago, I had the privilege to visit our team in South Africa, where our world-class team has been in overdrive helping a range of clients prepare for the upcoming COP17 global climate talks in Durban later this year. It is clear the government there – and many of its biggest companies – are determined to put on a big show. Anyone suffering hearing damage from the sound of vuvuzelas at World Cup...
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No Respite Down-Under From Eurozone Crisis
November 9, 2011
Any hope that travelling to the other side of the world would offer some respite from the daily diet of the Eurozone crisis has been rudely dashed. Here am I, blogging from Sydney, Australia, and finding no escape. Globalisation has never seemed more real. The euro is always with us. Australian TV and newspapers have been reporting every move in the shifting politics of the crisis, with much coverage of the Greek referendum debacle, the...
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Gastein is the place to be in October
November 3, 2011
There were a few empty seats in the FH Brussels office back at the beginning of October as many of our healthcare team members made the trek to a very far-away place. Clock up an 8 hour journey involving 2 flights and one shuttle bus journey, and you get to the town of Bad Hofgastein in Austria. Now why on earth would they go there at such a busy time of year? Our healthcare team...
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A Brit in Brussels: Bonfire Night Blues
November 2, 2011
For British expats living in Brussels, Guy Fawkes Night on November 5th is a low, low point in the calendar. It’s not that we don’t see fireworks all year round here – of course we do. The Brussels authorities make fine use of our over-generous tax contributions to put on a whole range of displays throughout the summer months to mark various, indecipherable occasions. I’m told the same thing happens over Christmas and New Year...
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FH Podcast: Journalists & Digital #4 – Ian Wishart of the European Voice
October 27, 2011
Continuing our occasional series on how Brussels journalists use social media, today we feature an interview with Ian Wishart of the European Voice. Ian talks about how - as a new arrival in Brussels - Twitter helped him navigate the Brussels maze. He also muses on the potential for better Twitter performances from the Brussels power brokers. Click here to listen to this edition of the podcast.* Click here to subscribe to the FH Europe...
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Breaking news from UK PM – Commission supports completing internal market
October 25, 2011
I have to admit to being a little bit of a pro-European (no? never! you say), so it is with some fidgeting discomfort that I read overnight the happenings in my native land on the EU. Our London office have done a quick round up of the rebellion on their blog (sounds like something Darth Vadar would want to crush). I think it's worthwhile reading the Prime Minister's full statement to the House of Commons...
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What does best in class public affairs look like?
October 24, 2011
Last week I came up with some top line thoughts on what a best in class public affairs function looks like in a Brussels context. I’ve based it on my experience in the market over the last decade. For some I am hoping it's blindingly obvious, but I think it’s a point of view that could serve as a useful refresher of where we all want to be. In summary it is something along the...
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Libyans Win Their Freedom but Europe’s Response Falls Short
October 22, 2011
The triumph of Libya’s National Transitional Council culminating in the death of Colonel Gaddafi owes everything to the support provided by NATO air operations under UN Resolution 1973, yet the UN involvement and the military action which followed would never have happened without the determination of President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister David Cameron. Their commitment to an admittedly high-risk undertaking has been decisively vindicated by the outcome. The whole episode has been quite a...