Hunting the wrong fox

This is a post by the Chief Executive of the PRCA, Francis Ingham.

This afternoon, I recorded a piece for The World At One. It responded to suggestions that in the wake of 'Foxgate' a statutory register of lobbyists was imminent.

A couple of things strike me about this.
 
Firstly, how this is 'news' is beyond me. It was announced a mighty long time ago, and pretty much everybody in the public affairs world knows this.
 
Secondly though, it again misses the point. This isn't about a bona fide lobbyist. It's about the murky affairs of a senior politician. Just as last year's commitment to a statutory register was suddenly announced by the then Labour Government when Geoff Hoon, Patricia Hewitt and Stephen Byers told journalists that they would use their positions to influence policy.

The political classes have an immediate reaction to news that damages their reputation or potential pay packets -to blame other people.

It is wrong and does them a disservice.
 
This Government should bear in mind that throwing up a smokescreen to disguise the shortcomings of your own government -and setting journalists off after an illusory fox -is rarely effective in the long term. Does anybody remember Jonathan Aitken and his "simple sword of truth and the trusty shield of British fair play”?
 

Worked out well for him didn't it?

 

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