Big Society and delivery of public affairs

Another lecture last night to the PR students at the London College of Communication on public affairs. As ever, I left thinking about the questions I had been asked and very confident about the role these people will play in the industry.

One of the issues was the necessity of spending more time learning about societal and cultural paradigms. Whether or not this comes from David Cameron's 'Big Society' is rather doubtful, but what is certain is the way in which 'services' will be delivered in a different way. This is bound to affect the way in which public affairs issues are treated by our industry.

If you are not yet convinced, have a look at a report on the future funding of charities that is to be found on the NCVO website at www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/fundingcommission 

UKPAC

The  registration of lobbyists has been a long-running issue. In Brussels, despite years of debate, there is still little consensus. Some public affairs practioners have registered with the European institutions and some are resolutely opposed. February saw the establishment of the UK Public Affairs Council, a self-regulatory venture created by the three main organisations (CIPR, APPC and PRCA) representing the industry. Public Affairs people see this as a debate between themselves and politicians but this ignores the poor reputation the lobbying industry has amongst the general public. As PA practioners we believe that the industry should be as open as possible because the alternative will be a statutory requirement imposed on us all. Whether UKPAC satisfies politicans and the public remains to be seen. We have registered with the scheme and perhaps if more of us are open about the work we are doing with clients the industry's reputation will improve over time.