1 min read
There's an unintentionally amusing piece in today's Guardian by Julian Henry, who is described as "chairman of Henry's House" (which I discovered via Google is a PR agency).
According to Mr Henry:
An interesting and arresting thesis, so I read on to find out why the man who is described by Mr Henry as having "done a terrific job in the last year" has to go.
Here's why:
When Coulson was named PR professional of the year the room filled with boos. When it was announced that he wasn't available to collect the award - he was understood to be busy with the fallout from the George Osborne crisis - there were further jeers. It suggests to me that the Tories don't actually realise how unpopular Coulson really is among his rivals. Sooner or later, that will matter.
Oh yes, I see. He suffers from a terrible, irredeemable handicap: other people in PR don't like him.
I think you're missing the point, matey. To most people that's surely a notch in his favour.
The journalist Chapman Pincher was described by EP Thompson (not someone I usually quote approvingly) as:
I'd adapt that phrase. Most journalists (admittedly not much more trusted by the public) view PR as the urinal into which companies piss. We try not to get splashed in the process.
Sounds to me like Andy Coulson is definitely the right man for the job.