O’Conall Street

It has been very interesting to track how society has reacted to Iris Robinson MP, MLA’s comments on gay people. Whilst there is a small but well organised lesbian and gay lobby in the North of Ireland, reaction from members of that community has been spontaneous and driven by separate individuals rather than strategic or coordinated.

A decade ago it would have been very difficult for a disparate group of people to keep a debate going for this long as the traditional media would not have been able to accommodate the diversity of views or such a widespread response. The media traditionally go to representative groups for comment because programmes or newspapers simply do not have the time or the space to allow a conversation to continue in such an unstructured fashion. This is why organised lobby groups get a much greater share of voice. They provide the traditional media with a single voice, tipping the balance of influence in favour of coordinated campaigns and organised groups at the expense of the individual.

What is so different today?

Firstly the media has changed. All over the world the broadcast media has become more audience driven. The Nolan Show is a case in point. Producers and editors are surrendering more control to the listener and allowing the conversation to continue off air via websites. The same is happening with the print press where a story is now more widely debated through online comments. Finally blogging and social networks allow individuals to act and campaign without having to secure airtime or even be quoted in a news story.

For example, this week two gay men, John O’Doherty and Andrew Muir used the media to publicise actions they proposed taking to hold Mrs Robinson to account. Both are politically active, John in the SDLP and Andrew in the Alliance although he was also an SDLP member for some years.   As such they would have some experience of the media and the means and experince to get themselves on air.

Others have been doing their own thing outside the traditional media. Over the past two days a Facebook group has been created under the banner ‘Northern Ireland does not need homophobic politicians’ and a petition has been launched on the 10 Downing Street Website.  The latter has collected 732 signatures at the time of writing. A Google blog search shows over 200 sepearte posts on the issue in the past five days.

So despite the introverted nature of northern society it appears social and digital media is becoming increasingly popular and advocacy driven campaigns are spontaneously igniting when an issue captures the public imagination.

It will be interesting to see if this influences the Assembly’s response over the coming months.  

Croke Park had plenty of seats empty on Sunday for Dublin’s Leinster opener with Louth. This surprised me as Ticketmaster.ie  had no tickets to sell from last Wednesday.

It would be great to see some action from headquarters to address the weekly scramble for tickets and to ensure that where there are significant returns from clubs these are made available online. Opening the ticket office on Jones’ Road or Parnell Park is fine if you work on live on the North Side but not the fairest way of ensuring Dublin fans across the country have access to tickets on an equal basis.

Sorry for the indulgent nature of this post. As our Chris Brown (still ecstatic after Down’s draw with Tyrone) spotted in Private Eye this month. All too much blogging is….

There has not been a post on Slugger O’Toole, Ireland’s top political blog since yesterday (Sunday) at 6.24pm which is most unusual. I am presuming this is a technical glitch but have not had this confirmed.  Everyone on O’Conall Street hopes this influential and informative site is back in business soon.

What a day to go down boys.

The shinners have been roasted by the leaders of Irish business over their opposition to the Lisbon Treaty. In a press release issued late last week IBEC says:

“IBEC, the group that represents Irish business, today strongly dismissed claims by Sinn Fein that the Lisbon Treaty is bad for Irish business. It said Sinn Fein had absolutely no credibility when it came to matters relating to the Irish economy and could not be trusted on the issue.

IBEC Director of EU and International Affairs Brendan Butler said: “From a business perspective, the Lisbon Treaty is a very good deal. The Irish economy has been a major beneficiary of membership of the EU and the Lisbon Treaty will further support Irish business and jobs.

Mr Butler was responding to a claim today by Sinn Fein that the Lisbon Treaty will be bad for Irish business. “This is a bit rich from an organisation that not so long ago was calling for an increase in Ireland’s corporation tax rate. Throughout this campaign Sinn Fein has deliberated misled the Irish public on business issues, including Ireland’s veto on tax and on WTO decisions.”

“The Lisbon Reform Treaty will reform how decision are made in the EU so that Europe can remain an engine for economic growth and prosperity. The Treaty will enable the EU to respond faster to the new challenges ahead, such as energy security, the rise of India and China as economic forces, and climate change. It is a very good deal for Ireland and should be supported,” said Mr Butler.

There are, according to Mr Butler, many provisions in the Treaty that support jobs and the economy, and below are three examples:

“The Lisbon Treaty for the first time gives a role to the EU in terms of energy security. It provides for cooperation between member states when it comes to difficulties in energy supply and also promotes the interconnection of energy networks. In the current environment of rising prices, concerns regarding medium term supply levels and our reliance on fossil fuels, a coordinated approach to energy supply must be a big win for an Island economy the furthest away from the source of such fuels.

“As an open economy that exports almost 90% of everything we produce the Lisbon Treaty proposals to improve transport infrastructure across member states must be welcomed . Transport costs are a huge and increasing issue for Irish exporting companies and any measures that allow us to get our goods and services to market quicker and cheaper have to be welcomed.

“The third area relates to the potential for Irish companies in relation to the single market. There remain substantial additional business opportunities for Irish companies in areas such as financial, telecoms, energy and environmental services. Five years ago we had no exports in environmental services into the EU, last year our exports were €105 million. Overall our exports into the EU member states increased from €44 billion ten years ago to €88 billion last year. Ratification of the Lisbon Treaty will give a significant boost the completion of the internal market particularly in relation to services and this has to be good for Irish business and jobs.

Mr Butler pointed out that IBEC was not alone in calling for a Yes vote in the Lisbon Treaty. Thirty six other business organisations, including,the American Chamber of Commerce, the Small Firms Association, Chambers Ireland and the Irish Exporters Association have come together and formed the Business Alliance for Europe. All 36 organisations which represent Ireland’s 250,000 businesses employing almost 2 million people are actively campaigning for a yes vote.”

Seamus McKinney had a good piece in the Irish News last week which is worth noting below about the potential impact on Northern viewers of RTE’s digital switch over.

Mr McKinney explains that RTE viewers in the north fear being cut off when TV transmission goes digital on both sides of the border.

More than 70 per cent of the north’s population can get RTE, with the numbers even higher in border areas.

In those areas as many as half say it would be a major concern if they could not receive RTE, according to a report by the UK communications regulator Ofcom.

The RTE issue figures highly in Ofcom’s latest ‘Nations and Regions’ report, released yesterday.

A survey carried out for the report shows that RTE is now a major broadcaster in the north, available to more than 70 per cent of viewers. More than one in three watch RTE 1 and 2 on a daily basis.

Ofcom carried out the research because changes in the way television will be broadcast on both sides of the border means the continued availability of those channels in the north is far from certain.

Authorities in the north are planning to upgrade all TV transmission to digital technology in 2012.

When that happens the existing analogue signal will be switched off.

In the Republic, plans are less well advanced but just as important for viewers in the north who watch RTE and TV3 through their ordinary TV aerials. Cable and satellite viewers will be unaffected.

The Republic has not yet decided on which technology it will use.

If it opts for a different and more advanced digital system than Britain and Ireland, then viewers in the north would not be able to get these channels any more.

The British and Irish governments are working behind the scenes to try and resolve issues over different digital technologies and the timing of the switchover from analogue to digital.

Viewers would benefit from both countries adopting the same technology and both making the switch-over at the same time. However, no agreement has been reached.

Ofcom reckons that whichever technology the Republic chooses, the number of people who can get RTE through their aerial will fall by around 10 per cent anyway.

It says RTE especially has become an important element of public service broadcasting in the north and wants access to these channels protected.

An area that is being discussed is whether RTE could be broadcast on northern transmitters. That would give viewers in the north 100 per cent access to RTE. There would be complex rights and licensing issues to overcome but these would not be insurmountable.

I am just back at my hotel from the European PR Awards in Venice and I could not feel prouder.

Weber Shandwick Belfast tonight became the first Northern Ireland agency ever to win a SABRE Award and the only agency from the island of Ireland to collect a top prize for excellence in PR this year. Our award came for our work with IKEA, advising the global retail on the planning application for its very first store in Ireland. Sonya Cassidy, Chris Brown and Stephen McGrath can feel well satisfied that their work is considered the best in Europe.

Across the continent our colleagues are celebrating too. We were the biggest winners of the night collecting seven SABRES. The rooftop garden at the Hilton Stucky Molino will be bopping into the early hours. I’m off to bed and looking forward to getting some sightseeing in before heading back with the trophy to the emerald isle.

According to the Press Association, Ireland’s Eurovision entry Dustin the Turkey hopes to score maximum points and be plucked for this weekend’s final.

The cult figure plans to ruffle some feathers with his performance of Irelande Douze Pointe - a parody of Eurovision - at the song contest semi-final in Belgrade.

Our feathered friend has been campaigning hard in cyberspace too. He has a plethora of Facebook and BeBosupport groups and turkey is off the menu at the thousands of  Eurovision BBQs across Ireland scheduled for Saturday night.

Denis Murray had a great interview with the king of foul this morning on the BBC. Dustin reminded our great island that Terry Wogan was born in Limerick in 1592 and sent to England in 1902 as revenge for the famine. Of course O’Conall Street to tally dissociates from such remarks but would like to point out that culchies are, well, different.

Can’t resist the opportunity to see the great bird in action.  
 

It’s Irish News day again. This month I am focusing on internal communications and its influence over staff morale.

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Employee retention – particularly related to high-performing individuals – is an increasing challenge for organisations on these islands. Turnover takes a toll on the morale of existing staff, on business continuity and productivity. Ultimately, the loss of talent hits a company’s bottom line. There is a strategy for countering attrition: the practice of effective employee communication. And we know it works, by the company it keeps among those best-in-class organisations in Europe, Asia and North America.

The traditional Achilles’ heel for employee communications practitioners has been their struggle to link effective internal communication with performance and retention. Insidedge, surveyed 600 employees North and South to try and understand better the impact of communications on their attitudes.

The results were startling. In Northern Ireland 38 percent and in Republic of Ireland 32 percent of those surveyed expected to leave their current employment in the foreseeable future, while an overwhelming 74 percent of all Northern Ireland and 80 percent of RoI interviewees indicated that an improvement in communications would positively influence them to remain with their employers.

The findings also reinforce a commonly held belief: Employees trust face-to-face communication the most. The most trusted sources of information for Irish employees are their immediate day-to-day supervisors, immediate colleagues and senior employees who can mentor and advise them, regardless of title. Each of these has greater influence on behaviour and commitment than more common sources such as newsletters, email and intranets.

Unfortunately, all too many companies rely on non-personal forms of communication, instead of equipping and expecting their managers to communicate. Sensing a void of information, employees turn to each other to interpret company decisions and actions, and misinformation based on opinion becomes ‘fact’ to employees thanks to the legendary bush telegraph.

The survey indicated that the top-three most useful and effective ways to communicate with employees in Ireland are small workgroup or departmental meetings, led by division heads and/or immediate supervisors; open-door policies, suggestion boxes and other ways employees can take initiative to communicate with management; and informal get-togethers where employees can talk and exchange ideas.

Improving how you communicate is one part of the battle. Equally important is what and when you communicate. Ensuring that the information you share is accurate, timely, truthful and complete – and that employees have the opportunity to participate in an open dialogue – is the other half.

So, as you think about your plans for employee communications, keep a few things in mind. Listen to your employees. Regular research – whether through staff surveys, periodic and targeted focus groups or even event-specific feedback forms – provides an insight into what people care most about. By knowing what your employees believe you are better equipped to address their concerns, and in turn, build their trust. Just as external research guides the decisions you make in marketing to customers and consumers, employee research should guide your plans for internal communication.

Build a manager-as-supervisor culture. Study after study shows that managers and supervisors are vital communicators. Yet, so many companies fail to take advantage. It’s not enough to give your supervisors information.

Put your people first. How often has your company launched a new product, broadcast or published a new marketing campaign, or announced a new strategic direction without telling your employees who are the people who have to sell your products, represent your brand and execute your strategies? Have a plan to share important information with your employees first, so that they are ready to respond when customers call. Don’t let your people hear about new initiatives on the radio, TV or in the newspaper before they hear it from you!

Give it to them straight. Most companies are more than eager to share good news with their people, and to celebrate in success. People also want to hear the bad news, no matter how difficult it might be to take. Sooner or later, the word is going to get out. Wouldn’t you prefer that your employees hear it straight from you, than through the grapevine? Have a plan to share all of your news with your people. They will trust you more if you are willing to share not only the good, but also the bad and the ugly with them.

Varney II is out. On a preliminary skim over the executive summary I am far from overwhelmed. He endorses all the good bits of existing Executive policy and calls for its implementation, something nobody will disagree with, and then adds a few of his own favourites just for completeness. The best one is the call for the privatisation of the Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency, hardly the magic bullet to solve our competitiveness issues but in the report none the less. 

Sir David was asked to look in a considered way at the structural issues impacting on the competitiveness of the Northern Ireland Economy. He wrote and academic analysis, 90% call for implementation of existing policy 10% recycling of existing GB programmes.

 The lobby groups are reflecting this in their initial responses. The Institute of Charted Accountants in Ireland has said:

“Sir David Varney’s findings are in marked contrast to his disappointing review of Northern Ireland tax policy published late last year.  On that occasion, he seemed to find that nothing was wrong with the Northern Ireland economy, and in particular that no changes to tax policy were required, a position which ICAI strongly contests.

While on this occasion he has supported review and reform, the issue of taxation, a key component in assessing Northern Ireland’s competitiveness, has again failed to feature, and this remains a significant shortcoming.  This is particularly so in that the role of tax in offering a competitive edge is gaining widespread currency, not just in the context of the Northern Ireland economic debate.”

In a week when the Treasury is under siege from big business moving to the Republic he has failed to really recognise the North’s potential as an FDI location or a potential special region within the UK. This report, like it’s predecessor will disappear onto the shelf quickly. Our local Minister’s will put on a brave face and claim the better bits. This is not their report and not their analysis and it would be very unfair to hold them responsible for it. We have very many talented economists on this island in the public and private sectors. Next time we need some advice I think we should ask one of them.

United Business Media is the latest UK firm to announce it is moving to Ireland for tax reasons. Last week Shire said they would also relocate their profit centre to this small island.

I am not one to promote tax dodging in big business but on the other hand we all need to accept the realities of global markets and the mobility of internal capital.

Varney II is still awaited here in Northern Ireland. I will eat my hat if he sees the obvious opportunity to plug the exodus of British business by allowing them the possibility to stay in the UK in a lower tax NI. We all live in hope.