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I am a PR professional, and this government has made the case for my industry better than anyone else could. Its apparent inability to understand that public perception is not only

important, but also easily swayed has provided a timely reminder to all of us in PR that a good image is not to be taken for granted. During this crisis, the Government has managed to find

easy opportunities for good publicity — and then it has publicly disowned them. From supporting Dominic Cummings, despite the overwhelming opposition from the public, to apparently refusing

to help fund meals for children most in need, the current Government seems to revel in bad headlines. Newly-won enormous majority or not, the Conservative Party has long had a reputation for

being more interested in looking after its own than the population at large. Whether or not this is fair or justifiable is irrelevant. As any good communications professional can attest,

the validity of a story, once it’s in such wide circulation, is of little importance. The recent controversy over providing free school meals during the holidays is a prime example of how to

manage a story badly. The headlines have been terrible and unmissable. News channels and social media have been buzzing with the story — the Government is refusing to support the most

vulnerable children. The Government has actually allocated millions of pounds in extra support to local councils to support increased Universal Credit — and yet no one seems to have noticed.

The government itself must take the blame. Instead of counteracting an effective spin operation from the opposition, they have point-blank refused to engage with the issue. Instead,

Conservative MPs have taken to Twitter to accuse hard-up parents of spending their kids’ food money on crack. While this does not represent the views of the majority of Conservative

Parliamentarians, it serves to cement the image that the government only has disdain for the worst-off in society. It is this same perceived disdain for the public that cut through in April,

when Dominic Cummings went to test his eyesight at Barnard Castle on his wife’s birthday. Instead of apologising, acknowledging he got it wrong, or — god forbid — _firing_ him, the

government made public statements endorsing his cross-country travel. A simple acknowledgment of humanity, accepting that in panic for his son’s welfare he made a bad decision would have

been an entirely justifiable response. But no. Instead, the country had to spend weeks having it repeatedly explained that everyone else who followed the rules had got it wrong. Both of the

above examples could have been easily resolved with a bit of belief that people are able to make their own decisions if they’re given clear, human, answers. There seems to be an in-built

arrogance to the way the current government presents itself, which implies it doesn’t need to justify its actions, nor does it need to be answerable to the average voter. Luckily for this

government, they have four years until they’re up for re-election. This should allow some time to learn that presenting their message to the public clearly and carefully isn’t a waste of

time — it’s a necessity. A MESSAGE FROM THEARTICLE _We are the only publication that’s committed to covering every angle. We have an important contribution to make, one that’s needed now

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