US election Facebook

How Trump’s campaign won Facebook

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Donald Trump’s successful Presidential campaign has previously boasted that it did a better job on Facebook than Clinton’s, and an internal white paper from the social media giant has shown they’re right.

Reported by Bloomberg, the internal white paper was published days after the American election and provides massive insight into two different methods of Facebook campaigns – and how important the platform is to political entities.

The white paper reveals that Trump’s campaign spent $44m on Facebook between June and November 2016, dwarfing the $28m Clinton spent in that time. The white paper also claims that ‘Trump’s Facebook campaigns were more complex than Clinton’s and better leveraged Facebook’s ability to optimize for outcomes’.

Next time you’re working out how many variations of advertisement to try on social media, think about this: Clinton’s campaign ran 66,000 different types of advert (seems high, right?), and Trump’s ran 5.9m. That’s five point nine million.

The campaign rapidly tested different forms before choosing the most successful to roll out further. Trump’s adverts were also focused on action – 84% asked people to do something, like donate, compared to just 56% of Clinton’s.

The Bloomberg article also suggests a possible link between the white paper and the Russian interference investigation, as the white paper was supplied to that investigation by a former Facebook employee. It says more than a quarter of Trump’s spend was tied to ‘third-party data files on voters’ and used a Facebook tool that helped the campaign show ads to people who looked similar to the names on file.

The former employee wrote: ‘Did Russian operatives give the Trump campaign a list of names to include or exclude from advertising that was running on Facebook?’

Clinton’s campaign was targeting broader audiences and only four per cent of her spend went on the lookalike tool.

Mark Zuckerberg is due to make his first congressional testimony this week and is likely to be questioned about this white paper. Whether he will be able, or inclined, to reveal what lists Trump’s campaign uploaded remains to be seen.

What is now arguable, is that Facebook helped Donald Trump win the election through a mixture of bigger budgets and more intelligent use of the system. Expect all future political campaigns to take note – Facebook victories can lead to real life victories.

At Crufts

Monty Dogge at Crufts

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Top Pet blog, Adventures of Monty Dogge, is written by Mark Sanders and follows Monty – the large white-and-black Newfoundland. Monty was recently invited to the world’s greatest dog show, Crufts, and has very kindly agreed to let Mark tell us all about it!

Monty does Crufties

In what capacity were you at Crufts?
Monty has been going to Crufts for the past four years as a dog blogger. He was invited by the Kennel club to report on the show from a dog’s perspective and it’s very much Crufts unleashed. He particularly enjoys explaining to the ‘hoomans’ who follow the blog how the show is through his eyes, which is usually pretty different from how we perceive it.

Was Monty recognised at Crufts?
Every year people travel to Crufts specifically to meet Monty. It’s amazing how many times you get stopped walking around the show with people wanting to meet him. You hear people saying, ‘That’s Monty’ or ‘Look, it’s Monty Dogge’. As time goes on we meet new friends and it’s lovely to meet people in person and hear how the blog makes them smile and gives them a boost. We hear some very moving stories.

What’s the best thing about going to Crufts (from both your and Monty’s perspectives)?
Easy from Monty’s perspective – it’s the amount of treat stalls around the venue. It’s like watching an antelope graze as he goes from stall to stall fluttering his eyelashes and reaping the rewards. For me it’s an amazing opportunity to promote ourselves to a huge audience of dog lovers. We met with quite a few companies this year who are looking to work with us so it’s good chance to network as well.

What was your favourite product/stall/company at Crufts?
Monty would say any treat stall but in particular Sea Treats, becayse he loves fishy treats. He also has to pay a visit to the Canine Massage guild every year as he gets his pre-show massage and they see how he’s doing. He’s been going every year since we began going and they look forward to his visit. I love going to the dog charity stalls as we really enjoy supporting various animal related causes, like Hounds for Heroes and Canine Partners, throughout the year and it’s a nice chance to catch up.

Eating treats

Who was your favourite winner?
Well this year a Newfoundland got through to best in show which was lovely to see but for us, a puppy that we bred was competing for the first time. Merlot is two and was the only puppy that survived from the only litter we ever bred so she’s pretty special. She lives in Scotland with a friend and it was lovely to see her again. She came a very creditable fifth in a strong class so she was our ‘winner’.

What’s Monty like around other dogs?
Monty is very good around other dogs. He’s particularly good with small dogs and puppies and usually lies down so they can be the same height. It’s not uncommon to see a little dog jumping up trying to give him kisses. There’s no doubt though that his favourites are the ladies, he’s a big flirt. He does get strange reactions from some dogs who are just totally phased by his size and aren’t sure what to do.

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Is Monty a future winner?
Monty will never be a show dog, he’s just too lazy. He’d lie down during the show and if he doesn’t want to move it’s pretty impossible to make him. He trained as a water rescue dog when he was younger but doesn’t like swimming because it’s all a bit too much like hard work. I think his future lies in his continuing school visits and charity work where he can take everything at his own pace… slowly.

How did you use social media during Crufts?
We did some live video this year for the first time, which was very popular. We set up a ‘Crufts according to Monty Dogge’ Facebook page that we use to build up to the show. We do things such as interviews with celebs with dogs and Monty’s explanation of the breeds and groups, which go down very well. This year we were featured as one of the dogs of Instagram and Monty appeared in the Daily Mail, which increased his profile further. I use Twitter quite a lot during the show as it gets quick responses and you can easily @ people or companies and get some good traffic.

meeting people

What’s the next event Monty is visiting?
The next major thing will be the book launch for our third children’s book, Monty and the Poppit Dragon. The two previous books were launched in Waterstones but this time we wanted to do a bit of a book launch tour in Wales, where the story is based. We will then be at the inaugural Dog Lovers show in Glasgow in September. They have invited us to go up and have an area where we can read stories to the children and they can meet Monty and Cookie, the stars of the books. We will then be at the Family Pet Show in Manchester in October and in between they will be visiting plenty of schools, so it’s a very busy year.

Adventures of Monty Dogge (and Mark Sanders) are both listings on the Vuelio Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists, editors and outlets. 

Disney offers to buy Sky News

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Sky News will be sold to Disney or ring-fenced to allow 21st Century Fox to buy the 61% of Sky it does not already own. This follows concerns from the Competition and Markets Authority that the takeover is not in ‘the public interest’.

The BBC reports that the Murdoch family’s news outlets are ‘currently consumed by nearly a third of the UK’s population’, across TV, radio, online and print. Given the huge influence it has over the British media landscape, Fox’s proposed takeover has been under scrutiny by the CMA since it was originally announced in 2016. It has also, to some extent, been used as a political football, particularly in relation to media plurality and political relationships.

The latest announcement from Disney would not only help Fox purchase the rest of Sky but would also allow its own $66bn takeover of Fox. The Guardian reports that Disney is concerned over US rival Comcast’s attempt to buy Sky from under them, and is therefore hoping to move quickly on the acquisition of Sky News.

Backing this up, a statement from Fox makes it clear that Disney’s interest in Sky News does not depend on their takeover of Fox going through.

On top of Disney’s announced offer, Fox has outlined plans to make Sky News separate from the rest of the empire, making it independent within the larger Sky organisation. It is looking to legally separate Sky News from Sky, using the same structure as BT and Openreach – a move which would appease the media regulator Ofcom.

Fox has also said it would fund Sky News for at least 15 years, which is up five years on its previous proposal.

The Fox Statement points out that neither Fox nor the Murdochs ‘have ever ‘sought to influence the editorial direction of Sky News’. The BBC reports that critics of this, including politicians such as Ed Miliband, Vince Cable and Kenneth Clarke, have said the head of Sky News would still be appointed by the head of 21st Century Fox and so could be influenced by the Murdochs.

Fox said this was ‘unsupported and fanciful’.

With the news of Disney’s offer, shares in Sky rose, with some investors now predicting a bidding war between Fox and Comcast when CMA regulation is no longer a concern.

Jeremy Corbyn

Political Headlines – Corbyn, cancer detection, ivory sales and blue passports

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Today’s Political Headlines include criticism of Corbyn’s Passover attendance, budget cuts failing cancer detection, tougher rules on ivory sales and challenging the passport contract. 

Corbyn criticised for attending Passover event with left-wing Jewish group
The BBC says that Jeremy Corbyn has been criticised for attending a Passover event with Jewdas, a left-wing Jewish group which is critical of mainstream Jewish community bodies. Last week the group accused the Jewish Board of Deputies, Jewish Leadership Council and Jewish Labour Movement of ‘playing a dangerous game’.

Lord Lansley blames budget cuts for failure to detect his cancer earlier
The Times reports that Lord Lansley, the former Health Secretary, has said that budget cuts meant that doctors failed to detect his bowel cancer earlier. He criticised the Treasury for thwarting a screening programme called Bowelscope which he introduced in 2010 butwhich only covers 50% of the population owing to cuts to the Health Education England budget.

Government to introduce tougher rules on ivory sales
The Government is to ban the sale of most antiques made of ivory under Government plans to protect elephants from poaching, The Times says. Exemptions will apply for items with only a small amount of ivory, musical instruments and antiques over 100 years old and deemed important, and museums will still be allowed to buy ivory.

De La Rue plans legal challenge to passport contract
The Financial Times reports that De La Rue is planning a court challenge against the Government’s decision to award the contract to produce the UK’s new passports to the Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto. The British company is taking the first steps towards initiating a judicial review in the High Court.

Thousands of cancer operations cancelled over winter
The Guardian reports a poll of acute NHS trusts by the Health Service Journal, which found that hundreds of cancer operations were cancelled over winter. Macmillan Cancer Support has warned that the delays could have affected some patients’ survival chances. Separately, an exclusive in the paper finds that thousands of ambulances are being prevented from responding to 999 calls because they are tied up at A&E units.

European Central Bank warning puts thousands of City jobs at risk
The Times says that the European Central Bank has instructed financial companies to prepare for ‘a no-deal scenario leading to a hard Brexit with no transition’. City sources told the paper that the stance will automatically lead to the loss of 5000-10,000 jobs in the UK, and blamed France for the ECB’s stance, which is at odds with that of UK’s regulators.

Survey of teachers warns of rising child poverty
A survey of teachers by the National Education Union and the Child Poverty Action Group, reported by the Daily Mirror, has found that 87% think that poverty has a significant impact on learning, while 60% think that the situation has got worse since 2015. School leaders described pupils ‘turning up at school with grey skin and stuffing food in their pockets’.

At least two trade deals will be ready for end of Brexit transition
The Sun claims that internal Government forecasts show that the UK will have ‘at least two bumper free trade deals’ ready for implementation when the Brexit transition period ends, in rolling-over ‘dozens’ of the EU’s current free trade agreements. A source told the paper that deals with Australia and New Zealand would be the simplest to reach.

Daily Political headlines curated by Vuelio political services.  

29 March

Four Things: Project 84, Tommy Robinson, Julian Assange and BBC woes

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As it’s a bank holiday weekend, we’ve dropped our number of things you shouldn’t have missed to four! Happy Easter and bank holiday one and all.

1. Statues on ITV buildings

ITV statues

ITV is raising awareness of male suicide by unveiling 84 clothed statues of men atop its buildings in central London. Working with charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), ITV launched Project 84 on their flagship daytime programme This Morning. Suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 45, with 84 taking their lives each week. A change.org petition is calling to ‘Make suicide prevention and support a government minister’s reasonability’ and, thanks to the huge coverage of Project 84, has managed over 160,000 signatures.

 

2. Tommy Robinson banned from Twitter

Twitter ban

Tommy Robinson, former leader of the English Defence League, has been banned permanently from Twitter. Twitter has suspended and blocked his account on a number of previous occasions but it is understood that due to his breach of its ‘hateful conduct’ policy, this will be the final time. He had over 400,000 followers when it was last blocked at the beginning of March. Robinson continues to operate a Facebook page, YouTube account and personal website.

This ban follows Facebook’s banning of Britain First earlier in the month, and possibly shows signs that social media companies are now more willing to come down hard on hateful speech and high-profile policy infringers.

 

3. Ecuador cuts off Julian Assange’s internet access

Internet cut off

Julian Assange has had his internet access from the Ecuadorian embassy removed, following his apparent ‘interference in other countries’. Assange has been living in the London-based embassy for six years but has been digitally prolific in that time. The Ecuadorian Government said that it had removed his internet access because he had breached ‘a written commitment made to the Government at the end of 2017 not to issue messages that might interfere with other states’. It follows a tweet from Assange that challenged Britain’s assertion that Russia was responsible for the nerve agent poisoning.

The Guardian reports two previous occasions that Assange has been in similar trouble, in 2017 he was asked to stop discussing the Spanish Catalonia dispute by Ecuador and in 2016 his access was stopped as Ecuador feared he was interfering in the US presidential election.

 

4. More young people watch Netflix than BBC TV

BBC

The BBC’s Annual Plan for 2018 has acknowledged that Netflix is now more popular for children and young people than the BBC. The report states that 16-24 year olds spend more time with Netflix than ‘all of BBC TV (including iPlayer)’. In further damning news, the report says that 15-34 year olds spend more time each week listening to streaming music services than all BBC Radio. The report fears the BBC risks being overtaken by competitors, stating that 82% of children go to YouTube for on-demand content, half to Netflix and only 29% to BBC iPlayer.

As a reason for failing competitiveness, the report suggests funding has fallen 18% in real terms since 2010 due to the licence fee freeze and additional extra costs. The report claims that in the same period, ITV’s income has grown by more than 30% and Sky’s by 90%. It doesn’t detail the financial details of Netflix or Amazon.

The full report exposes the core practices of the BBC and is available online.

 

Seen something we’ve missed? Let us know on Twitter @Vuelio. 

Theresa May

Political Headlines – May’s trip, Corbyn crisis, exit checks and gender pay

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Today’s Political Headlines include May’s community visit around the UK, a Corbyn ally quitting and the continuing antisemitism row, the Home Office criticised over exit checks and the gender pay gap. 

May to visit communities across UK to mark a year to Brexit
Theresa May is to visit communities across the UK, marking a year until Brexit, the BBC reports. She will promise to keep the UK ‘strong and united’ and ensure that ‘no new barriers are created within our common domestic market’. After Labour’s Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry said that if the Brexit deal was a ‘blah, blah, blah divorce’ it would pass Labour’s six tests for support, The Guardian says that Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer has reassured MPs that the party is prepared to vote against the deal.

Corbyn ally quits after row over Holocaust hoax allegations
The Times says that Christine Shawcroft quit as head of Labour’s disputes panel last night after she was revealed to have defended a council candidate who posted an article calling the Holocaust a hoax. She claims that she had not seen full details of the complaint, and has apologised. In an interview with Jewish News, Jeremy Corbyn described antisemitism as a ‘cancer in our society’, while The Sun claims that MP John Woodcock is considering quitting the party over Corbyn’s stance on antisemitism, Russia and other issues.

Home Office criticised over exit checks
A report by the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, published yesterday, found that the Home Office’s system of exit checks is so unreliable that it does not contain departure records for 600,000 people who should have left in the last year, The Guardian reports. The Financial Times adds that this was one of just five critical reports of the Home Office to be published on the second-last day before Parliament’s Easter recess.

Only half of companies required to publish gender pay gap have done so
The Financial Times reports that only half of the companies required to publish their gender pay gap data have done so, despite the fact that only a week remains until the reporting deadline. The Government is also being criticised over the design of the reporting requirements and their effectiveness at addressing gender imbalances. Analysis by the paper suggests that the median gender pay gap so far is 9.7%.

Conservatives accused of breaching manifesto promise on broadband
According to The Daily Telegraph, the Conservatives are being accused of breaching a manifesto promise. The new Universal Service Obligation, under which households have the right to request a broadband connection with a 10mbps minimum speed, will not apply to households where installing the connection would cost over £3,400.

Parole system in crisis following Worboys ruling
The Daily Mail says that the parole system is in ‘crisis’ after three high court judges overturned the Parole Board’s decision to free the rapist John Worboys, citing ‘basic failures’ in the process. The board’s chairman, Nick Hardwick, has resigned and Justice Secretary David Gauke has ordered investigations into six other recent decisions, as the paper claims that he is ‘fighting for his job’.

Grayling accused of lying over rail electrification cancellation
The Daily Mirror says that the rail union Aslef has accused Transport Secretary Chris Grayling of lying over his decision to cancel electrification projects. While Grayling had claimed that improvements could be delivered sooner with ‘state of the art’ bi-mode trains, a National Audit Office report reveals that ‘the major reason for the cancellation was affordability’.

UK using aid spending as bargaining chip in Brexit negotiations
The Times reports that the UK is using the prospect of continued aid spending of over £1.4bn a year to secure a deal on security with the EU after Brexit. While May had hinted at this in a speech last year, the paper reports that it is now being treated as an explicit part of the UK’s negotiating position.

The Political headlines are curated by Vuelio political services team.  

Plastic bottles

Political Headlines – plastic bottles, NHS funding, antisemitism and referendum ‘fraud’

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Today’s Political Headlines include a plastic drinks bottles deposit, extra funding for the NHS, Labour tackling antisemitism and the referendum that was won through ‘fraud’.  

Deposit for drinks bottles and cans to be introduced
The Government has announced that customers will have to pay a deposit when they buy drinks bottles and cans, the BBC reports. While the deposit will increase prices, customers will get their money back if the container is returned. Full details are subject to consultation, including the size of the deposit. Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Michael Gove said, ‘We need to see a change in attitudes and behaviour. And the evidence shows that reward and return schemes are a powerful agent of change.’

Prime Minister indicates extra funding for the NHS is imminent
The Financial Times says that Theresa May has indicated that extra funding for the NHS is imminent. Giving evidence to the Commons Liaison Committee, the Prime Minister said that she was considering a ‘multiyear’ funding settlement and the NHS would not have to wait for next year’s spending review. She wants to develop a ‘long-term plan’ and ensure that it ‘is properly resourced’.

Shadow cabinet agrees Labour needs to change to tackle antisemitism
According to The Guardian the shadow cabinet has held a debate on Labour’s antisemitism crisis and agree that the party needs to make radical changes to deal with the problem. The paper says that informal agreement was reached to implement the recommendations from Shami Chakrabarti’s report into antisemitism and other forms of racism in full.

Referendum won through fraud, whistleblower says
The whistleblower Christopher Wylie has told MPs that the EU referendum was won through fraud, The Guardian says. He told the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee that the pro-Brexit campaign had a ‘common plan’ to use a network of companies to get around restrictions. Vote Leave denies allegations of collusion and deliberate overspending.

UK to launch counter-propaganda war against Russia
The Daily Telegraph reports that a major overhaul of the UK’s security capabilities announced by Theresa May will include a counter-propaganda war against the Russians. The plan, known as the Fusion Doctrine, will tackle the threats of cyber warfare and fake news, as well as bombs. May will ensure that every Government department views national security as a priority. The plans are outlined in the new National Security Capability Review.

May hints that EU customs transition could be extended
The Times says that Theresa May suggested yesterday that the UK may not be ready to enter into a new customs arrangement with the EU when the transition agreement runs out. She was responding to comments made by HMRC officials who told the Commons Treasury Committee that it could take five years to set up a new customs partnership with the EU.

Committee to call for rent increases after fee ban to be stopped by Government
In an exclusive, The Sun reports that the Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee is to call for ministers to prevent landlords from increasing rents when tenancy fees are banned. Other recommendations by the committee include capping deposits at five weeks’ rent, forcing landlords to provide reasons for evictions, and giving Trading Standards the powers and resources to tackle revenge evictions.

Northern Ireland same-sex marriage bill to be introduced to Commons
The BBC reports that the Labour MP Conor McGinn is to introduce a bill to Parliament later today, calling for same-sex marriage to be made legal in Northern Ireland. The private member’s bill is to be laid as a ten-minute rule bill and there is no guarantee that it will get to its next stage. A similar bill has already been laid before the House of Lords.

These political headlines are created by Vuelio Political Services team.  

Silverspoon London

The No.1 London Lifestyle Blogger: Angie Silver of Silverspoon London

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Angie Silver writes Silverspoon London, the lifestyle and travel blog which has been ranked as the UK’s number one London Lifestyle blog. Covering the finer things in luxury London, Angie covers retail experiences, restaurant reviews and uncovers hidden gems! We spoke to her about the best places in London, how to run a successful blog and how she likes to work with brands and PRs.

What makes your blog successful?
Even though blogging has changed so much over the years, the key to a good blog has always been content. I work incredibly hard on my content and produce around three blog posts a week. Photography was never my forte but I’ve worked very hard to get it to where it is today and I’m very proud of it.

Another key to blog success is relationships. In the four and half years I’ve been blogging, I’ve forged very strong relationships with brands and PRs who have returned to work with me again and again. My relationships and friendships with other bloggers has been one of the most significant aspects of the development of my blog. Not only do they provide a support network but we share each other’s content and champion each other’s blogs.

Finally, I’ve always kept it real! Stuck to my brand identity and kept my content authentic.

What’s the long-term aim of your blog?
When I started my blog it was a fun hobby but eventually it turned into so much more. It’s given me opportunities that I never dreamed of, I’ve met incredible people and I’ve been able to be my own boss and make my own hours. Honestly, my long-term goal is to keep being happy creating content and exploring beautiful destinations.

Where is the best place in London?
It’s hard to say the best place but the current popular places are the beautiful Instagrammable cafes. Top choices are Peggy Porschen, Saint Aymes and Aubaine in Selfridges.

Where is the best place to eat in London?
It depends what food you like and what atmosphere you’re looking for but here are my top three:

  1. For Michelin fine dining, Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester is the absolute best in my opinion.
  2. Hakkasan is one of London’s top Chinese restaurants but it also has a buzzy and lively vibe.
  3. Bob Bob Ricard is somewhere that will please everyone. The food is hearty and delicious, the décor is beautiful and there’s even a ‘Press for Champagne’ button at every table.

What’s the best attraction?
Well you can’t miss the obvious such as Buckingham Palace, The London Eye and St Paul’s Cathedral but I’d definitely take the time to explore the more hidden side of London. I know a few people who specialise in coffee house tours or chocolate tours, which give a different perspective on the city.

If not London, where would you like to live?
I love London but the busy pace of life can be overwhelming. When my husband and I visited Australia a few years ago, we fell in love with Melbourne and discussed how it would be lovely to live somewhere so laid-back. The food and the coffee scene there is outstanding too!

How do you work with PRs and brands?
I absolutely prefer to meet face-to-face to establish a more personal connection. I also prefer to work on a long-term basis and develop a good working relationship and trust, rather than one-off campaigns or reviews.

I also think it’s very important that the blogger chosen for campaign is the perfect fit for the brand and market – that way everyone will get a return on investment.

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What are your favourite campaigns that you’ve worked on?
Last year I worked with the Mayakoba resort in Mexico. They flew me out to stay at the Rosewood Mayakoba, a spectacular luxury hotel, in order to create content for them. It was honestly a dream come true!

I also worked with Classic Collection to promote their trips to Santorini which was a dream destination for me.

What do you call yourself (blogger/influencer/content creator/writer etc)?
I’m first and foremost a blogger because my blog is my main platform. However, I do think the term content creator is becoming more and more applicable to people in the industry.

What other blogs do you read?
So so many! For London recommendations I love Heroine in Heels, The Lifestyle Diaries and Adventures of a London Kiwi. For travel The Travelista, The Londoner and The Travel Hack always have great tips.

Angie Silver and Silverspoon London are both listings on the Vuelio Database along with thousands of other leading journalists, editors, bloggers and outlets. 

Hedonist, London unattached

London Lifestyle spotlight with Adrian York

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Adrian York is a contributor to London Unattached, the London Lifestyle blog that recently ranked in the top 10 London Lifestyle Blogs in the UK, and author of The Hedonist. We caught up with Adrian to talk everything London, from the best place to eat, from the best spot to stand at night to see the city lights. We also spoke about blogging and working with PRs.

What makes your blog successful?
Firstly, London Unattached is a contributor blog with a really strong team of specialist writers who are experts in their subject area. I know I want to transmit the excitement I feel to our wonderfully loyal readers when I go to an inspiring concert, eat a wonderful meal or have an amazing trip. Secondly, our boss, blogging ‘legend’ Fiona Maclean, navigates the blogosphere with style, wit and grace and holds the whole thing together brilliantly.

What’s the long-term aim of your blogging?
To share fantastic experiences with our readers. At London Unattached we are given opportunities to sample the best of London, the UK and the world, and the mission is to give an honest and accessible view. On a personal note, I enjoy the process of writing about food, lifestyle, music, men’s fashion and culture whether it is for London Unattached, my own blog The Hedonist, or for online news portals such as The Conversation, The Independent or The Huffington Post. I’d like to keep on doing it and raise my profile as critic and cultural commentator. It provides a different space for me to operate in away from my day job as an academic and jazz musician.

Where is the best place in London?
I love to stand on Waterloo Bridge at night and look at the river and the lights illuminating the greatest city in the world.

Where is the best place to eat in London?
I’ve been eating out in London since the 1970s and have seen a huge change in the range and quality of restaurants. I love how London has become a major player in the global gastro scene so choosing one place is always going to be hard. I’m going to choose a tiny new place in Hackney called Nest that epitomises cutting-edge trends in fine dining.

What’s the best attraction?
The whole city is the attraction. See it all from the top of The Shard. Experience cutting edge theatre at The Young Vic, immerse yourself in the street hustle and small plate restaurants of Soho, soak up the glitz and designer fashion of Bond Street and enjoy incredible Indian restaurants in Southall.

If not London, where would you like to live?
Somewhere warm! I’d love to be an urban nomad spending a few months staying in a place to really get under the skin of a city and then moving on. Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, New York, Madrid, Athens, Rome, Tokyo and Lisbon would do for starters!

How do you work with PRs and brands?
We are contacted by PRs who reach out to us when they have a product, event or launch that they want to publicise.

It’s important only to work with brands that relate to the demographic that you serve. At London Unattached and at my blog The Hedonist we focus on elements that will appeal to Gen X and baby-boomers.

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What are the best campaigns you’ve collaborated on?
I really enjoy cultural and gastronomic trips around the world. I visited Hamburg for the ElbJazz Festival set in the city’s shipyards. I ate my way around Athens on a gastro walking tour of the city and explored the food and culture of Lake Garda in Northern Italy.

What do you call yourself (blogger/influencer/content creator/writer etc)?
I’m a blogger and writer.

What other blogs do you read?
The Sartorialist for fashion, Andy Hayler for restaurants, Pitchfork for pop and Ethan Iverson for jazz.

Adrian York, London Unattached and the Hedonist are all listings on the Vuelio Database along with thousands of other leading journalists, editors, bloggers and outlets. 

culture confidence choice

Spring Forward: culture, confidence and choice

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Spring Forward is a brand-new conference that will take place on 24 May in Bristol. The event is designed for women (with men also welcome) who are ready, or want to be ready, to take the next step in their career.

Sarah Pinch is the managing director of Pinch Point Communications and the chair of the Taylor Bennett Foundation. Sarah has long advocated the need for a strong professional network, particularly when encouraging women in business, and her latest venture takes that to the next level. She said: ‘Spring Forward has been a year in the planning.  I wanted to put on something that inspires women to take that next step; but also equips them with real skills to do so.’

The conference will focus on three key areas that Sarah believes are vital to the success of women in the industry: culture, confidence and choice.

The event has a mix of big name speakers – including Karen Boswell OBE, the global CEO and managing director of Hitachi Rail Europe, and Nathalie McGloin, a female racing driver paralysed from the chest down – as well as intimate workshops and focus groups.

Sarah said: ‘We have two fantastic key note speakers in Karen Boswell OBE and Nathalie McGloin, both women at the top of their chosen professions in rail and motorsport. Karen and I worked together at FirstGroup and her determination, hard work and great love of life is infectious. She is responsible for all the new trains coming onto our railways in the coming years. And I met Nathalie recently and she is so inspirational, a successful female racing driver, who is paralysed from the chest down; she’s totally smashing it!

‘And we have a great panel, drawn from the public appointments office, school governors and charities to talk about how you can get board level experience through volunteering – so you’re ready for that next step in your paid employment.’

While the aim of the conference is to explore the issues of culture, confidence and choice, there will also be plenty of time devoted to networking, ensuring the professional benefits that come from being part of such a group are felt by every attendee.

This event is just the beginning of Spring Forward, with plans for the sessions to inform a white paper due out in summer: Women and the C Words: culture, confidence and choice. How do those words hold women back currently and what can we do collectively, to change that?

For more information, and to book your tickets, check out the official Eventbrite page.

The Grocer

Journalist Spotlight: The Grocer’s Marianne Calnan

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Marianne Calnan, recently appointed senior reporter at The Grocer, talks to Vuelio about her new role, balancing her time and how you never know where the best stories will come from…

How are you settling into your new role as a senior reporter at The Grocer? Can you describe a typical working day for you?
It’s been great so far and very full-on – I really feel like I’ve hit the ground running. The day will usually start with news hunting, followed by writing and interviewing for most of the rest of the day for a wide range of articles. Either that, or I’ll be at meetings with industry contacts or events.

What do you enjoy the most about your job? What are the main challenges you face?
I’m really enjoying learning more about the FMCG industry, and my challenges include balancing my time between my writing and event-attending duties.

How do you decide what content to focus on?
The editorial team has pretty much constant discussions about what to cover and what to prioritise.

Do you have a good relationship with PRs? What advice would you give to PR professionals who want to work with you?
Definitely, and I would say send me anything and everything you think may be relevant to my remit, as you never know where the best stories could come from.

What type of press material are you interested in receiving?
Mainly press releases and background info about any new developments or changes.

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Marianne Calnan and The Grocer and her blog are both listings on the Vuelio Database along with thousands of other leading journalists, editors, bloggers and outlets. 

General Data Protection Regulation

GDPR for comms – expert advice to get it right

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Vuelio is delighted to announce a comprehensive webinar about the GDPR for the communications industry. We’ll be joined by Rowenna Fielding, GDPR specialist at Protecture, the data protection consultancy.

The webinar GDPR for Comms – Expert Advice to Get It Right takes place on Wednesday 11 April at 11am (BST). Sign up for the webinar here.

The GDPR comes into force on 25 May 2018 and will be the most important change in data protection in 20 years. It affects everyone who deals with personal data, whether that’s names and email addresses or dietary preferences and pet names. Getting it wrong, or burying your head in the sand, is just not an option.

But don’t worry!

On top of our white paper and comprehensive guide, we have designed this webinar to specifically meet the needs of the comms industry. Rowenna will be outlining everything you need to do before 25 May and point out things you may have missed.

We’ll be covering all the main points of the GDPR and you’ll leave knowing:

  • The difference between legitimate interest and consent – and which you should use
  • When you’re a data processor and when you’re a data controller – and why it matters
  • How you can comply with the GDPR – and still communicate with everyone successfully

The webinar will be broadcast live and includes a live Q&A. If you have questions about the GDPR and working in comms, this is your chance to get them answered by an expert.

Join us, on 11 April at 11am (BST) and stop worrying about the GDPR. Even if you can’t make the date or time, we’ll send you a recording of the webinar afterwards.

Political Headlines

Political Headlines – Vote Leave, antisemitism, safe spaces and credit cards

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Today’s Political Headlines include potential criminal offences in Vote Leave, hundreds protesting antisemitism in Labour, universities as ‘safe spaces’ criticised and Stella Creasy attacking high cost credit cards. 

Vote Leave members may have committed criminal offences, lawyers say
The Guardian reports that lawyers advising the whistleblowers who worked for Vote Leave have said that members of the campaign may have committed criminal offences relating to overspending and collusion. The allegations will be debated in the Commons today, in an emergency debate secured by the Liberal Democrats. Yesterday, Theresa May defended her political secretary Stephen Parkinson, who faced criticism for outing a whistleblower as gay.

Hundreds protest about antisemitism in Labour
The Times says that John Mann, the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Antisemitism has warned Jeremy Corbyn that behaviour in some parts of the party is ‘rotten to the core’. Hundreds protested in Parliament Square about antisemitism in the Labour Party yesterday evening, and Corbyn said he was a ‘militant opponent’ of antisemitism.

‘Safe spaces’ criticised by parliamentary report
According to The Times, a new report by the Joint Committee on Human Rights tells universities they cannot be ‘safe spaces’ and must allow unpopular and controversial voices to be heard. The committee, chaired by Harriet Harmon, described the concept of ‘safe spaces’ as ‘too broad or very vague’ and warned that they impinged free speech.

Stella Creasy attacks high cost credit cards
The Guardian reports that the Labour MP Stella Creasy, who it credits with forcing the Treasury to cap interest rates and fees from payday loan providers, is calling for similar action on high-cost credit cards in order to protect vulnerable consumers. She is backing an amendment to the Finance Bill today, which could lead to a limit if successful.

Simon Stevens says £4bn cash boost would bring back post war NHS
The Daily Telegraph reports that Sir Simon Stevens, the head of NHS England, has said that if Theresa May gave the NHS a £4bn cash boost to mark its seventieth birthday, it could return to being the ‘kind of health service we had for the post war period’. Also speaking to the Public Accounts Committee, Sir Andrew Dilnott, who conducted a review into social care, warned that the absence of a cap left pensioners ‘terrified’ about care costs.

New corporate governance code won’t cover executive pay
The Financial Times reports that James Wates, the businessman drawing up the Government’s corporate governance code for private companies, has said that the code will not cover executive pay, but ‘may not be a million miles away’ from that for listed firms.

Williamson condemns Russian use of Internet to spread propaganda
Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, has spoken to The Times about Russia’s use of troll and robotic accounts online to spread propaganda, branding them the ‘Lord Haw-Haws of the modern era’ and saying that they must be confronted. As the BBC reports, the USA and over 20 other countries have followed the UK’s lead by expelling Russian diplomats.

UK threatens to cripple EU satellite programme
In an exclusive, The Sun claims that the UK will cripple the global coverage of the EU’s Galileo satellite programme if it is excluded from it. The UK is to threaten to turn off key infrastructure for the programme on the Falklands, Ascension Island and Diego Garcia.

The Political headlines are made by Vuelio political services team.  

London-Unattached

Food and Travel: Fiona Maclean, London-Unattached

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London-Unattached is a multi-author blog covering a range of lifestyle topics, with a strong focus on food and travel. Founded by Fiona Maclean, London-Unattached covers topics of interest to Generation X and up. Fiona told us about her best travel experiences, working with PRs and meat fruit.

What makes your blog unique?
London-Unattached is a contributor blog or blogazine – I work with six talented individuals, each with a different focus. So, for example, I have one writer who specialises in theatre reviews – she’s an actress and theatre coach for her day job; another is a university lecturer in music and jazz musician. We are all Generation X upward (over 45) so we address a niche that I believe is under represented but has a high disposable income and wants to explore. We all cover food (restaurant reviews and recipe development) and travel.

What’s your biggest aim with the blog/what would you ideally achieve with it?
I’d like to get to the stage where we have, say, a quarterly print magazine to complement the online content.

What’s your favourite location in the UK?
The Scilly Isles – I went last year and the islands had a wonderful Enid Blyton feel to them – very unspoilt!

What’s your favourite trip abroad?
As always, it’s my most recent trip! I’m just back from Rodrigues, a tiny island the size of Jersey, 150 miles north of Mauritius. Although it lacked the ‘resort luxury’ of some of the other destinations I’ve visited, it made up for it in a big way by having totally empty beaches, coral reefs, a plethora of wildlife and some fantastic food (French Creole with a seafood bias)

What’s the best thing about blogging about your travels?
Finding places like Rodrigues that I’ve never heard of but which are astonishingly beautiful – and then having the opportunity to share them with other people. Or finding a special feature that I know will be a hook for my readers – in St Lucia for instance, I’d have to highlight the luxury of the resorts as well as the activities, while in Bruges, for me, it was that the food was more than a match for the heritage and architecture.

Best meal you’ve ever eaten?
Last year, at Dinner by Heston (sorry to be so obvious – but I still dream of the Meat Fruit!)

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I’m more cautious on paper than I am in real life. Generally, given a bit of encouragement, I’ll have a go at things I’d say no to if you asked me ahead of time.
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What are the best PR/brand collaborations you’ve worked on?
I love doing recipe development projects. I really enjoy being given a challenge and creating something to use a specific ingredient or to pair with a specific wine. I’ve done one recently with Spanish Sherry and a couple with Grana Padano and Prosciutto di San Daniele including this set of festive canapes.

I also like working with a country destination on a long-term basis. One of my first press trips was to Portugal and I’ve subsequently been back every year and now have a wealth of content about a country I love. Last year, I worked with the Czech Republic for the first time, went on two trips to Prague, Pardubice and Brno, produced six blog posts and won their ‘Blogger of the Year award’.  I think it takes time to get to know a destination well – so being given the opportunity to go back really helps.

What do you call yourself (Blogger/influencer/content creator)?
Freelance writer (I do work on a number of other writing projects, from website development through to writing newsletters and blogging for other people).

What other blogs do you read?
Too many to list. For quirky blogs I wouldn’t normally come across, I love the ‘Big up Your Blog’ group. It’s full of passionate and lovely people like Jill Creighton who writes Midlifesmarts and Suzanne Vickery who writes about her experience travelling the world as a House Sitter.

Fiona and her blog are both listings on the Vuelio Database along with thousands of other leading bloggers, journalists, editors and outlets. 

Drinks reception

PRmoment Awards 2018

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Huge congratulations to all the winners of the PRmoment Awards! It was a fantastic evening with winners across the whole industry, from big name agencies to smaller boutiques and specialist consultants.

We were proud to sponsor the drinks reception, which kicked off the event in style. It was great to see so many talented people in one place, able to let their hair down and celebrate their hard work over the past year. The volume of chat and excitement reached a crescendo by the time the doors opened for the awards.

The evening began with a welcome speech from the founder of PRmoment, Ben Smith. Thank you to Ben and the whole team at PRmoment for a great night. Hosting the awards throughout the evening was the hilarious Ellie Taylor (as seen at the Vuelio Blog Awards 2017!). The awards ceremony began with plenty of laughter, food and drink, but it was the awards and their winners that took centre stage.

Vuelio sponsored two awards: Event of the Year and Public Sector Campaign of the Year. Taylor Herring and Channel 5 scooped Event of the Year for their headline-grabbing pop-up restaurant, ran entirely by nuns serving soup. The pop up not only promoted the Channel 5 series Bad Habits: Holy Orders, but also offered diners a phone amnesty, possibly making it the first Instagram-free restaurant in London!

Kindred for HM Treasury & The Royal Mint won the Public Sector Campaign of the Year award. Kindred were tasked with getting the public and businesses excited for the launch of the new pound coin and did just that with the ‘New Quid on the Block’ campaign.

The only way to end any good awards ceremony is with plenty of dancing and there were many shapes being thrown! Thank you to everyone who attended (especially everyone Vuelio got to speak to) for a brilliant 2018 awards, and well done again to all the winners.

Politics on Sunday – Brexit, Vote Leave and the NHS on Marr, peston and Sunday with Paterson

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There was no way Brexit would be upstaged for a second consecutive weekend on the Sunday shows, dominating the weekend’s coverage. It was discussed on both Peston and Marr, who each hosted several high-profile guests.

There are allegations that Vote Leave gave money to BeLeave (a group allegedly controlled by Vote Leave) so they could get around spending rules. These allegations came from a whistle blower who was not only in Vote Leave but in a relationship with senior Vote Leave figure, Stephen Parkinson. Stephen Parkinson is now a political secretary for the Prime Minister.

There were different calls for different steps to be taken.

Caroline Lucas (Marr) thinks there should be a police investigation, she does not think the Electoral Commission has either the resource or the power to act. She also referenced the Information Commissioner having to wait a week to get a warrant to enter Cambridge Analytica’s office.

Deputy Labour leader, Tom Watson (Marr) said the ministers that were involved in Vote Leave should answer questions to find out what they knew and when they knew it. Watson backed Lucas’ view that the Electoral Commission needs the powers and resources to further investigate. David Davis (Marr) attempted to calm the matter saying we should wait for the Electoral Commission to come to a conclusion.

Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt (Peston) defended Stephen Parkinson, saying as far as he knew Parkinson works with the highest integrity. Hunt went on to say the legal matters are for the Electoral Commission to decide on.

Ben Bradshaw (Peston) said it is for the Information Commissioner, the Electoral Commission and the police to decide on whether anything illegal happened. Heidi Allen (Peston) called for the facts to be separated from the gossip, on the wider story, she said, ‘the whole thing feels pretty filthy’.

David Davis was not just asked about the Vote Leave issue. He made the following claim on the UK’s future relationship with the EU: ‘It will be a free trade deal, a comprehensive one, the most comprehensive one ever’. Davis went on to say that the deal will not be like Norway’s.

The question of Northern Ireland was, of course, raised. Davis said the preferred and ‘likely’ way of resolving this issue will be the UK getting a customs agreement and free trade agreement making the issue easier to solve. The Brexit Secretary went on to say a backup plan does exist and this plan involves Northern Ireland remaining in the customs union. Marr challenged Davis on this saying that kind of arrangement does not exist anywhere in the world, to which Davis suggested the use of new technology could solve any old problems.

The Shadow Brexit Secretary, Keir Starmer was interviewed by Robert Peston and asked about where the Labour Party thinks the new British passports should be made. Starmer said the new blue passports should be made by a British company. When Robert Peston pointed out this could cost £120 million, Starmer replied by saying ‘To put it to a French company is the wrong thing to have done’.

After Tom Watson said a second referendum was something the Labour Party was open to but not calling for, Starmer had to answer a question on this topic where he made clear it was not a policy Labour were putting forward. Watson was asked about the sacking of Owen Smith; he said that when you join the shadow Cabinet you are bound to collective responsibility and your personal views should be put to the side. Watson said he did not think Corbyn had much choice but to ask Smith to step down.  Shadow Transport Secretary Andy McDonald backed up what Watson said, later on Sunday Politics.

One of the biggest non-Brexit stories to come out of the shows was Jeremy Hunt and the NHS. Hunt said he thinks a ‘10-year settlement’ will suit the NHS much better. He said it takes seven years to train a doctor and three to train a nurse, and to be able to structurally plan for this, the NHS needs longer term financial planning. He also said that the public wants more resources for the NHS and this can only really happen when tax is increased and the economy grows.

Hunt also hinted towards making the NHS more efficient in the way data is recorded, explicitly mentioning IT systems. The Health Secretary also dampened speculation that an extra £4bn a year is going to announced for the NHS in the summer, linking back to his earlier comments that he does not like the ‘feast or famine’ way the NHS is currently funded. Hunt didn’t stop there, he went on to set out a policy where mothers would see the same team of midwives through pregnancy and birth. Hunt himself said more midwives will be needed for the policy to become a reality.

Not for the first time since Jeremy Corbyn became Labour leader, the opposition leader’s views on anti-Semitism were questioned. This comes from 2012 when Corbyn defended an anti-Semitic mural on Facebook. The Labour leader has said he was defending free speech and did not realise the mural was anti-Semitic, though he has now said it is. Andy McDonald (this time on Sunday with Paterson) said Jeremy Corbyn has fought anti-Semitic behaviour for a long time. Starmer said the mural was very clearly anti-Semitic and that Corbyn ‘can speak for himself’. Peston thought it would worry people that someone who wants to be Prime Minister did not look closely enough at something before commenting on it.

Check out the Canvas, which has all the reaction and coverage from the Sunday shows, here. Make your own Canvas here.

 

26 March

Five Things You Shouldn't Have Missed

Five Things: Facebook, the GDPR, Ant & Dec, Count Dankula and Bumble swiping left

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Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed this week includes Facebook’s latest woes, political parties using data, Brand Ant & Dec, Count Dankula and Bumble swiping left on Tinder.

1. Facebook’s $50bn comms disaster

Facebook

The news that Facebook allows companies to collect and use personal data for commercial gain should be surprising to no one; it’s literally the company’s business model. But the story this week that data firm Cambridge Analytica bought data from a Cambridge professor’s Facebook app to create 50 million profiles – which possibly contributed to Trump’s presidential victory – has hit the public like the elephant in the room on a rampage. We’ve explored the ways in which Facebook has suffered, and covered the four crisis comms mistakes it made.

The biggest of these is the initial absence of Zuckerberg and then his eventual explanatory Facebook post, which has been described as ‘totally insufficient’. (Facebook has now published open letters in a number of newspapers, possibly emulating Bumble, story below).

The alleged breach led to Facebook’s share price taking a big, $50bn-dollar hit – but is this the end of the social giant? (Probably not).

 

2. Political parties exclude themselves from new data laws

General Data Protection Regulation

Talking of data being used to profile people for political gain without the individual’s knowledge or consent – the Independent has reported that UK political parties are excluding themselves from the new data laws so they can still use personal data ‘to find out how people are likely to vote’. The Independent directly linked this story to the Cambridge Analytica debacle, but the public outrage (obviously via the front pages of national papers) hasn’t followed.

The Independent reports, ‘All the major parties have agreed to the exemption from new data protection laws, arguing it clarifies their widely recognised right to canvas voters in order to target possible supporters.’

If you’re not a political party, and you’re worried about complying with the GDPR law, check out our comprehensive guide (which is a form-free download).

 

3. Brand Ant & Dec

Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly

Ant McPartlin was charged with drink driving this week after he was involved in a multiple-car collision. The troubled star is back in rehab, leaving his significant other, Declan Donnelly, to present the final two episodes of Saturday Night Takeaway alone. This is an historic moment for brand Ant & Dec – the pair that work exclusively as a duo to the point that they always stand the same way (Ant then Dec), are temporarily split up. Brand Saturday Night Takeaway has to continue for the final episodes, as the finale is competition winners in Orlando (Cat Deeley has been mooted to stand in as co-host, but probably not as Prozac the giggle fairy).

Brand Suzuki has ended its contract with the duo, but will continue to sponsor the programme (family friendly automotive brands generally avoid drink driving ambassadors).

Brands Britain’s Got Talent and I’m A Celebrity are later in the year so may continue as normal if Brand Ant & Dec recovers. Which, as long as Ant gets better, is almost a certainty. In terms of crisis comms, Ant has done everything right: he has been honest, admitted he’s struggling, and gone to rehab. Everyone is communicating about the situation and working together for the best outcome. Ant & Dec’s place in the nation’s hearts seems to be secure.

Long live Brand Ant & Dec.

 

4. Count Dankula and the free speech debate

Count Dankula

Ah free speech and social media. This week the endless debate has a bizarre advocate – YouTuber Count Dankula, who was convicted of making a ‘grossly offensive’ video after he taught his girlfriend’s dog to react to phrases such as ‘Sieg Heil’ and ‘gas the Jews’. The UK doesn’t have free speech laws like the US*, but globalisation (spearheaded by the rise of American-based social media sites) has created the illusion that we do. Count Dankula, real name Mark Meecham, was considered to have committed a crime in line with existing UK law on offense. Open and shut case, right?

Wrong. Conservative West Yorkshire MP Philip Davies is now demanding a debate on freedom of speech. Davies said: ‘We guard our freedom of speech in this House very dearly indeed…but we don’t often allow our constituents the same freedoms.

‘Can we have a debate about freedom of speech in this country – something this country has long held dear and is in danger of throwing away needlessly?’

Once again, the responsibility of YouTube as host of such content is being overlooked. Perhaps Logan Paul and Cambridge Analytica didn’t actually happen.

 

5. Bumble swipes left on Tinder

Bumble Match Group

Tinder and Bumble are at loggerheads, with Tinder’s owner, Match Group, filing a lawsuit for alleged intellectual property theft. In what is partially a PR war, Bumble has come out fighting with a stinging full-page advert in the New York Times titled ‘Bumble swipes left on Match group/Tinder allegations’. The open letter to Match Group continues the Tinder-swipe theme: ‘We swipe left on you. We swipe left on your multiple attempts to buy us, copy us and, now, to intimidate us.’ [bold text as printed]

Bumble has also scored PR points for making their women-first approach (the app’s USP is that women have to make the first move) very clear: ‘We – a woman-founded, women-led company – aren’t scared of aggressive corporate culture’. The letter uses the alleged ‘bullying’ by Tinder to describe how their platform is designed to be safe for women.

This is a master stroke by Bumble, and even using a traditional newspaper ad to run the advert, is a touch of genius – tying this modern tech company with tradition and therefore traditional values (oh hey Facebook). Obviously Match Group is massive, but Bumble has ensured the ball is firmly in their court (hopefully next week’s Five Things will include an incredible response!).

 

Did we miss something? Let us know on Twitter. 

*For example: offensive comments, inciting hatred, inciting someone to commit a crime and legitimate threats are all illegal in the UK.

Today's Political Headlines

Political Headlines – NHS Funding, Cambridge Analytica, ‘pockets of antisemitism’ and Brexit

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Today’s Political Headlines include Jeremy Hunt’s call for increased NHS funding, May under pressure over Cambridge Analytica, Corbyn’s antisemitism apology and the UK ‘fighting’ to stay in the EU’s satellite programme. 

Jeremy Hunt in call for ten-year deal to fix ‘crazy’ health budget
The Times reports that Jeremy Hunt called health funding ‘crazy’, launched a ‘political offensive’ for a ten-year NHS spending deal and backed moves for a ring-fenced tax on Peston on Sunday. The paper describes this as a ‘direct challenge’ to Philip Hammond. The news comes as 98 MPs, including the chair of the Health Select Committee Sarah Wollaston and 20 other committee chairs, backed a call for a commission on increasing NHS funding.

May under pressure over Cambridge Analytica scandal
The Guardian claims that pressure is growing on the Prime Minister to investigate what members of her cabinet and staff knew about allegations regarding Vote Leave and Cambridge Analyticia. Pro-EU campaign group Best for Britain has written to Theresa May with a series of questions. The Times adds that the fate of May’s political secretary, Stephen Parkinson, will be decided today after it was claimed that he helped the campaign to cheat spending limits and outed a whistleblower as gay.

Corbyn apologises for ‘pockets of antisemitism’
Jeremy Corbyn has apologised for ‘pockets of antisemitism’ in the Labour party, The Guardian says. His apology follows an open letter from the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council accusing him of ‘siding with antisemites’. A protest is planned to be held outside Parliament later today.

May fights to stay in EU’s satellite programme
The Financial Times reports that Theresa May is trying to prevent the EU from leaving the UK out of the €10bn Galileo satellite project. The next round of contracts is expected to be awarded in June, but British companies will be excluded in order to protect the security elements of the programme. A senior official described the EU’s approach as ‘outrageous’.

Labour plans to amend Brexit bill to give Parliament more say
According to The Guardian, Keir Starmer will use a speech in Birmingham today to announce that Labour is to table amendments to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill which would prevent the UK from leaving the EU without a deal if Parliament rejects the outcome of the Brexit talks. Instead, MPs could pass a motion setting out the next steps, including resuming negotiations.

‘Damning report’ on Government childcare schemes
The Financial Times says that, in a ‘damning report’ published yesterday, the Commons Treasury Select Committee pressed the Government to reform childcare rules in order to boost productivity and to increase the take-up of tax-free schemes. The report also criticised problems with the Government’s tax-free childcare website.

Trump to expel Russian diplomats following spy poisoning
The Daily Telegraph reports that Donald Trump is set to expel more than 20 Russian diplomats from the USA, following the poisoning in Salisbury in a move that the paper describes as ‘a significant boost for Theresa May’. Up to 20 European nations may also follow the UK’s lead and expel Russian diplomats.

Councils spend £43m in compensation for injuries caused by damaged roads
The Times says that councils have spent over £43m over five years in settling legal claims brought by people injured on the country’s deteriorating roads. The figures were obtained by the charity Cycling UK, which warns that cyclists are being put at serious risk ‘due to years of persistent underinvestment in our rotting local road networks’. The Government has announced a further £100m will be given to local authorities for maintenance.

The Political headlines were curated by the Vuelio political services team.  

Today’s Political Headlines – 23 March 2018

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Today’s Political Headlines include the EU recalling its ambassador from Moscow, the agreement of the transition period, Owen Smith calling for a referendum on the Brexit deal and the continuation of the passport row. 

EU recalls ambassador from Moscow as it agrees Russia ‘highly likely’ to be behind attack
As The Times reports, the EU has recalled its ambassador from Moscow after leaders agreed that it was ‘highly likely’ that Russia was behind the nerve agent attack in Salisbury. In a statement, the leaders said that there was ‘no plausible alternative explanation’. At least five EU countries are prepared to follow the UK’s lead and expel Russian diplomats.

EU leaders to agree on transition period today
The Financial Times says that EU leaders will agree on the transition period at the European Council today and are expected to approve guidelines on negotiating the future relationship. Yesterday, Theresa May told leaders that ‘considerable progress’ had been made in the Brexit negotiations. At home, The Daily Telegraph reports that the UK has taken delivery of the first of five gunboats to protect the UK’s fishing waters after Brexit.

Owen Smith calls for referendum on Brexit deal
Owen Smith, the Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary, writes in The Guardian that Labour should ‘keep asking if Brexit remains the right choice for the country’ and campaign for a referendum on whether to accept the terms of the Brexit deal. The paper says that Smith’s ‘intervention will reopen the split in Labour ranks’.

Passports row continues
The row over the awarding of the contract to produce the new British passports to a foreign firm continues. The Guardian reports the decision to choose the Franco-Dutch firm Gemalco will save taxpayers about £120m and will create around 70 new jobs in the UK. The Daily Mail urges ministers to ‘stand up for Britain’, claims that the current producer, the British firm De La Rue, is threatening to take the Government to court, and alleges that the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, approved the deal without knowing the winner’s identity.

May refuses to intervene over cancer bill
According to The Guardian, Theresa May has refused to intervene in the case of Albert Thompson, who has been asked to pay £54,000 for cancer treatment despite living in the UK for 44 years. He has been unable to provide documentary evidence that he has lived in the UK since he arrived from Jamaica as a teenager. The paper claims that there could be tens of thousands of people in a similarly uncertain immigration position.

Committee backs Heathrow’s third runway, but only with safeguards
The Financial Times has details of a report by the Commons Transport Committee on Heathrow expansion. While the committee backs the third runway, it argues that it should only be approved by Parliament if the Government imposes strict conditions relating to costs, noise and air quality. It also called for more information on the project’s costs.

Political parties grant themselves exemption from new data protection laws
The Independent says that political parties are about to grant themselves special powers to use personal data to find out how people are likely to vote, despite the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The exemption from new data protection laws has been agreed by all the main political parties as it clarifies their right to canvas voters in order to target likely supporters.

May sets up committee to boost female entrepreneurs
The Daily Telegraph reveals that Theresa May is setting up a Downing Street committee to increase the number of women starting businesses, following a campaign started by the paper. The taskforce, which will meet fortnightly, will ensure all Government policy considers the impact on women and increases their role in politics, business and society.

Vuelio Political services are available to be customised by you. 

Facebook

Is this the end of Facebook, or just a comms disaster?

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On a long enough timeline, the life expectancy of all social media sites drops to zero. Facebook is suffering, but is this the beginning of the end or just another bump in the road?

The Cambridge Analytica story is known to most people now. The large data company bought 50 million data entries from an academic, who had harvested it off Facebook for the purposes of ‘research’. It then used this data to some, as yet, unclear extent (against Facebook’s rules) to help political movements around the world including, according to its own claims, a contribution to President Trump’s victory.

After months of investigative research by The Observer, an undercover reporter from Channel 4 was able to film CEO Alexander Nix making bold claims that the company led politicians around the world into honey traps and bribing officials. He has since been suspended.

For Facebook, the news was damning. After the report was broadcast, and following work from the Observer and the New York Times, some $50bn was wiped from Facebook’s stock market value.

It has since recovered slightly but at one point was 10% down.

Facebook then made a series of seemingly rookie moves in terms of crisis comms: the company suspended whistleblower Chris Wylie’s Facebook and Instagram accounts; its chief of security Alex Stamos is reportedly leaving the company but nothing has officially acknowledged this; Facebook went into the offices of Cambridge Analytica to ‘investigate’ on the evening of the report, a day before the ICO were able to apply for a warrant; and, perhaps most damaging, Mark Zuckerberg was kept from making a comment until days later.

When a listed company takes a dive on the stock market, with investors and clients threatening to sue, advertisers pulling their ad spend, and governments around the world discussing heavy regulation, a CEO needs to respond swiftly to show someone is in control and the situation is being handled.

Instead, we waited four days for a Facebook post to appear, in which Zuckerberg acknowledged Facebook has ‘a responsibility to protect your data’, and ‘if we can’t then we don’t deserve to serve you’. He explained a timeline of events that led to the crisis, and says that it was a ‘breach of trust between Facebook and the people who share their data with us and expect us to protect it’.

Is this too little, too late though?

This article from MarketWatch certainly thinks so. It quotes Davia Temin, a management consultant who said, ‘This is a totally insufficient response, both operationally and emotionally. Yes, it is prescriptive, yet strangely hollow, limited, unemotional, and lacking any form of apology.’ Temin says that the company should be responding to such a crisis in 15 minutes, because on social media, 15 minutes is an age.

Deleting your Facebook account is now in vogue, thanks in no small part to some big names including the co-founder of WhatsApp, Brian Acton, who tweeted: ‘It is time. #deletefacebook’. WhatsApp, of course, was sold to Facebook in 2014 for $19bn. This issue is damning for the social giant, but as people are pointing out (mostly on Twitter), all the big social companies collect personal data and sell it to advertisers and third parties.

So, if Facebook now fails (and presumably the likes of Twitter, Google and Amazon remain healthy), it will be largely because it didn’t handle its comms correctly to get itself out of this hole.

Obviously, the state of social media, the collection of data and third party access is going to become VERY exciting after the GDPR comes into force. If, for example, the ICO decided Facebook had allowed the data breach through negligence and it was after 25 May – the fine would have been up to $500m.

Imagine.

 

If you’re unsure about GDPR, and not sure how it’s affecting the comms industry, download out our comprehensive guide.