Publicity stunt turns into PR disaster for Taoiseach
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Friday November 27 2009
TAOISEACH Brian Cowen missed a PR opportunity by not getting his toes wet in Athlone.
It was a disaster for his spin doctors -- as he failed to reach out to those in distress.
Mr Cowen got heckled for failing to spend enough time viewing the plight of flood victims.
His trip to Athlone became known for all the wrong reasons.
Ordinary people watching helplessly as their homes and livelihoods get destroyed by rising flood waters are in a highly emotional position.
The Taoiseach's chance to show a man-of-the-people persona in the region of the country where his election to office was most heralded passed by.
Mr Cowen's brief visit was hardly going to be detailed enough to conduct a thorough appraisal of the situation on behalf of his Government.
Instead, it was about viewing the emergency firsthand, thanking those involved in the flood prevention and clean-up efforts and empathising.
He was never going to get into a boat or put on waders to view the damage from chest deep in the water.
But he does need to be careful his visits to flood-bound areas are not just seen as photo opportunities and avoid coming across as lacking in understanding.
His popularity ratings are already bad enough, without the floods becoming synonymous with his leadership style.
If Mr Cowen is only going to go on a whistle-stop tour, then he may as well stay home.
The Taoiseach isn't the first politician to be targeted by a backlash of anger over their handling of a flooding crisis.
Leaders must tread carefully as such an emergency can become regarded as defining moments in their careers.
The inadequacy of the administration of former US President George W Bush was brutally highlighted by the floods in New Orleans. The President could run two wars but it took three days to get water to his own citizens stranded in a sports stadium.
The President chose to fly over the city, rather than go see the damage on the ground.
The Huffington Post described his 35-minute Air Force One of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama as "the perfect metaphor for his entire presidency: detached, disconnected, and disengaged".
New Orleans was the beginning of the end for Bush and a true turning point in his tenure.
- Fionnan Sheahan Political Editor
Irish Independent
