Right on: Cornwall Council has recently paid for at least four "advertorials" in The Guardian, promoting the progressive nature of County Hall's social workers. A typical half-page advert costs around £9,000 per day.
Headlines like “We’re trailblazing: how one council is bridging the gap between health and social care for children” must be very nice to read for County Hall’s senior officials – but this is only self-promotion.
Some senior Tory councillors think that as a marketing strategy, it is ultimately self-defeating.
“If we have to pay the media to say nice things about us, we might as well give up,” said one.
“It would like to know who authorised this. How do these adverts help ordinary people in Cornwall?
“We recently claimed to have a `laser-like focus’ on cutting waste and ensuring that every penny of the taxpayers’ money went on frontline delivery of statutory services.
“There is nothing frontline or statutory about advertising in The Guardian. This looks like someone is out to make a name for themselves on the national stage.
“It’s got bugger all to do with improving lives in Cornwall.”
Another Conservative councillor said he was in despair. "This is the ultimate demonstration of our bunker-mentality," he said. "Whoever thought this was a good idea should get out more."
The councillor then quoted George Orwell, who famously observed: “journalism is printing something that somebody else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations.”
More than 40 years ago Ken Livingstone's Greater London Council was pilloried for what Conservative politicians labelled "loony left" policies. Cornwall's Tories are now contemplating their own administration, wondering how long it can survive.
I wonder whether it’s about attracting staff? I’ve often wondered whether the perception – still largely true although it’s improving – that Cornwall is a ‘white ghetto’ with attitudes stuck in the 1950s deters, for example, GPs and dentists from applying for jobs here
Linda Camidge. Who mentioned anyone’s skin colour? What possible bearing could the amount of melanin in someone’s skin have on recruiting dentists and GP’s in Cornwall? Your portrayal of Cornwall as a “white ghetto” rather betrays a serious propensity on your part to view every situation through the lens of skin colour. Why? This is racism? Using your logic and phrasing, I could as well ask you the question, “why is Nigeria a ‘Black Ghetto'”. There is very little Diversity of skin colour. There is certainly zero Inclusion because no matter how long I was to live in Nigeria, I could never be a Nigerian citizen. Your view suggests Cornwall should engage in affirmative action. I presume your view would be society advance would be greatly improved by selecting citizens on skin colour? The Diversity you so desire produces zero diversity of opinion, as you will only be satisfied when your opinion prevails. Inclusion actually results in Exclusion of un- favoured Skin colours. Equity favours Equality of Outcome and NOT Equality of Opportunity.
I would suggest that you think long and hard before injecting unwanted racism into discussions which have nothing to do with skin colour.
On a personal note, in an effort to refute the “white ghetto” allegation but also to polish my “some of my best friends are gay” credentials, I have a Venezuelan Dentist, I have had an African GP and I have done non medical work for a very successful Pakistani heart surgeon at Treliske. It is not about skin colour, it’s about merit.
No one did – I’m just speculating that the advertorial might be an attempt to show potential recruits in areas of chronic shortage that Cornwall is diverse and up to date. I am an elderly white English woman, know nothing whatsoever about Nigeria or anywhere else in Africa, and rarely think about race at all, but as such I suspect I may be part of the recruitment problem – not personally, certainly not intentionally, but as a type
The so called leadership in the Kremlin are a total joke but sadly a joke that nobody finds funny!
This Diversity, Equity and Inclusion of which this Guardian aberration is only the latest evidence, is not driven by the supposed political leadership of the Council. This emanates from the very corrosive “Axis of Evil” which is Mrs Kennally’s administration. This has her finger prints all over it. After 7 years in power she has her supportive cabal of the sisterhood gathered around her, making her virtually impregnable. She will only go when she decides. The councillor, formerly known as Leader, just meekly follows on like a nodding donkey. While Cllr Harris prostrates himself before the jackals, in an effort to garner a few more crumbs from the top table, our CEO carries on throwing money at all her pet projects. Devolution White Paper, £35,000, vanity Guardian adverts which blow hot air up her own nether regions, the brain child of Aggie Mutuma et. al. of Mahogany Incusion Partnership.
Kerching – £25,000. The list of money draining contracts she has approved is mind numbing.
Growth Hub advert campaign – £15,000
Corporate Customer Satisfaction Survey – £35,000
PR and Community Services – £20,000
Making Space for Sand (seriously?) – £50,000
Better Business Case Training – £10,000
Regulatory Service Review, structural and operational advice to Council for 6 months – £175,000.
When this Council eventually sinks into bankruptcy under the oppressive weight of her DEI crap, she will just sail of into the sunset, humming her favourite tune; “I’m a lumberjack and I’m OK”.
Someone has got to say it. Another £40,000 of our money thrown down a spaceport, by the person now formally known by anagram as “Nellynak” What an absolute nelly, thinking this was good use of taxpayers money – at the same time as wanting to cut buses to make kids walk to school and this all comes out on the very day that the Audit Committee discussed “Value tor money” – the irony of it – and no “irony” is not an anagram – but the current leadership at Cornwall Council has the absolute nak of being complete nellys…..