EU to spend £225m on army of 1,000 spin doctors promoting it...

[sidicks]

From the Daily Telegraph:

The European Commission will next year spend over £225million on propaganda campaigns and the employment of over one thousand spin doctors to sell the EU to a hostile public.

Europe to spend £225million on army of 1,000 spin doctors to promote EU - Telegraph

I wonder if there are better things to be spending our money on.... (no wonder the EU wanted to increase EU budgets by 5%)

Sidicks

 

[Badger0-0]

Pretty factual, that headline, isn't it?

Almost half the cost, £115million, will be spent on administration and the 1,078 staff who work in the commission's directorate general for communications.

How many people are involved in administration then?

 

[la gran siete]

I think its about time they did actually, as there is ,clearly, a great deal of ignorance regarding the EU

 

[Rasczak]

I think its about time they did actually, as there is ,clearly, a great deal of ignorance regarding the EU

I agree the image of the EU needs to be addressed else it is going get to a point where the organisation is doomed because so many have become anti-EU. I'm not sure an army of spin doctors is thw ay to do it though. Although pro-EU, I would like to see a referendum of membership. I believe this could finally result for the case being made for UK membership rather than going on as we are now where we sign up to more and more whilst leaving the popular consent further and further behind.

 

[la gran siete]

I agree the image of the EU needs to be addressed else it is going get to a point where the organisation is doomed because so many have become anti-EU. I'm not sure an army of spin doctors is thw ay to do it though. Although pro-EU, I would like to see a referendum of membership. I believe this could finally result for the case being made for UK membership rather than going on as we are now where we sign up to more and more whilst leaving the popular consent further and further behind.

a referendum now would most likely result in a no result for continued membership given the amount of antipathy that exists.The pro lobby simply have not made a sufficiently strong case for it and many people still remain ignorant. Hopefully these spin doctors might address that problem by enlightening us all about the real benefits of continuing membership

 

[BISHI]

I think its about time they did actually, as there is ,clearly, a great deal of ignorance regarding the EU

I think there is a great deal of secrecy and mis information regarding the EU particularly when it comes to allowing scrutiny of its finances. This is by far the biggest obstacle to the UK joining up IMO. All these spin doctors will do is cloud this fact even more..

 

[Wild Weasel]

They can varnish a turd as much as they like, its still a turd.

 

[Steven]

I wonder if there are better things to be spending our money on.... (no wonder the EU wanted to increase EU budgets by 5%)

Sidicks

I can't think of any business or organisation that does not allocate some part of their budget to marketing. It is a fact of life. And sending out information to 500 million people will cost a fair bit of money...

 

[sidicks]

I can't think of any business or organisation that does not allocate some part of their budget to marketing. It is a fact of life. And sending out information to 500 million people will cost a fair bit of money...

Is the EU really a 'business'?

I thought businesses had to provide audited accounts on an annual basis.....

Even if you think the marketing is appropriate, at the current time of budget cuts across Europe, is now the time to spend this money?


Sidicks

 

[Wild Weasel]

If our democratically-elected government sent out taxpayer-funded propaganda saying how great they were, there would rightly be uproar. These EU idiots need cutting off at the knees.

 

[Badger0-0]

If our democratically-elected government sent out taxpayer-funded propaganda saying how great they were, there would rightly be uproar. These EU idiots need cutting off at the knees.

But the EU isn't a single party is it?
It's hardly the same thing.

I don't know a fat lot about the EU, but I'd like to hear what they think is good about it, as opposed to our press who are so biased against it.

Not all of us swallow the BS that comes out of the Daily Mail or Murdoch empire, you know

 

[jay mc]

Spin doctors, aka paid liars! what the eu needs is to stop making stupid laws and wasting money for starters and correct me if im wrong but wasent it all about free trade at the start?
If there is a vote on staying in or out, out will win because the eu in its current state is a over priced joke!

 

[Steven]

Is the EU really a 'business'?

I didn't mean literally, just illustrating a point. Government does this all the time when they have giant bill boards and television ad campaigns trying to get people to stop drink driving or to fill in their census form. Separately, the EU as a body necessarily has to spend some kind of money telling all of us about what they are doing. They can't do it magically by thought

£225m is a huge number, no doubt about that, but then politicians do have a knack for spending money Did you know Barack Obama raised $750 million for his election campaign in 2008?

Yes I agree it is less palatable when it is tax payers money being spent. But I suspect speculate to accumulate is the intention here as the EU is not well regarded amongst ordinary people, which makes it harder for their (our) leaders to sign off a budget increase

 

[Deleted member 293381]

I didn't mean literally, just illustrating a point. Government does this all the time when they have giant bill boards and television ad campaigns trying to get people to stop drink driving or to fill in their census form. Separately, the EU as a body necessarily has to spend some kind of money telling all of us about what they are doing. They can't do it magically by thought

£225m is a huge number, no doubt about that, but then politicians do have a knack for spending money Did you know Barack Obama raised $750 million for his election campaign in 2008?

Yes I agree it is less palatable when it is tax payers money being spent. But I suspect speculate to accumulate is the intention here as the EU is not well regarded amongst ordinary people, which makes it harder for their (our) leaders to sign off a budget increase

Agree with that.

The EU has never advertised itself or explained what, why and how it does things.

Er... What does the EU do?

 

[nheather]

They can varnish a turd as much as they like, its still a turd.

No, it is a Turner Prize finalist.

Cheers,

Nigel

 

[sidicks]

... But I suspect speculate to accumulate is the intention here as the EU is not well regarded amongst ordinary people, which makes it harder for their (our) leaders to sign off a budget increase

Oh I see.

So if they spend £225m of our money now, this will make it easier for them to ask for more of our money in future?!

Brilliant - where do i sign?

Sidicks

 

[la gran siete]

Agree with that.

The EU has never advertised itself or explained what, why and how it does things.

Er... What does the EU do?

probably because it never felt the need to do so.Time it did

 

[MintMouse]

Oh I see.

So if they spend £225m of our money now, this will make it easier for them to ask for more of our money in future?!

Brilliant - where do i sign?

Sidicks

No. They're spending this quite considerable sum of money to actually tell us what they're doing...instead of just taking the money and...not telling us.
The Telegraph calls this spinning, apparently...almost as if they had a market to pander to...:whistles:.

 

[la gran siete]

No. They're spending this quite considerable sum of money to actually tell us what they're doing...instead of just taking the money and...not telling us.
The Telegraph calls this spinning, apparently...almost as if they had a market to pander to...:whistles:.

exactly!

 

[Badger0-0]

probably because it never felt the need to do so.Time it did

Absolutely.
It does show how out of touch it is though, doesn't it?

Our local councils have been doing this sort of thing for years in the form of bi-annual magazines that report facts and figures etc.

 

[Wild Weasel]

Not my council.

 

[Badger0-0]

Interesting.
I thought it was mandatory and introduced by the tories

And no, Birmingham has been NOC, not Labour, for the last few years
(sharp editing WW, but not sharp enough )

That said, I haven't seen one for a while, so perhaps they've stopped it.
I always read mine, but can well imagine 95% got binned without being read, so yes, possibly a waste of money.

How many countries in the EU now?
A quick glance tells me it's 27.
So even if we take that £225M figure, it's going to cost us what?......

Do you want to talk about wasting money?

How much are we going to spunk on the Olympics?
Billions.
And I know it was implemented under Labour, but don't tell me the tories and Cameron wouldn't have gone for it.
They're even bigger flag-wavers, after all.

 

[Steven]

I get an annual pamphlet each April explaining how council tax revenue is spent, accompanying the council tax bill for the new financial year

 

[Badger0-0]

I get an annual pamphlet each April explaining how council tax revenue is spent, accompanying the council tax bill for the new financial year

Yes, that's the sort of thing I'm on about.
Admittedly, the Birmingham one (Voice?) was decidedly professional looking though, much like a proper mag and must have cost some serious dough to produce.

Why black and white on recycled bog roll can't do the job, I don't know.

Still, I'll bet it kept a fair few people in work

 

[la gran siete]

Absolutely.
It does show how out of touch it is though, doesn't it?

Our local councils have been doing this sort of thing for years in the form of bi-annual magazines that report facts and figures etc.

with growing unrest across the Union itss high time the EU gets off its arse and tries to win over the public.The anti brigade have been very vocal for some time now with some making laudable noises .Time for the pro lobby to redress the balance and explain what ist a;ll about ,whats at stake etc etc