This week there has been near wall-to-wall coverage about the Kids Company closure, and a lot of heat around who knew what, when, who was involved and who should have done what. Camila Batmanghelidjh, its founder, has made herself very available to the media and has been giving extensive live interviews. The whiff of David Cameron’s personal involvement as well as other ministers only encouraged the media. The whole saga could keep the media busy for the rest of the summer.
So what can we learn from the political news this week?
- Burnham can`t decide which way to look. The rise of Jeremy Corbyn and the growing likelihood of him winning the Labour leadership has caused problems for the other three candidates but particularly Andy Burnham. It was thought that the unions would back him but they have turned to Corbyn – as have most of the constituency Labour parties. That has left Burnham trying to regain some left wing street cred, not least promising the nationalisation of the railways. Although it subsequently appeared that he was really just restating Labour’s policy at the last election.
- Jowell break ranks. Leading the race to be Labour’s mayoral candidate has not stopped Tessa Jowell from breaking ranks and stating that Corbyn could win. Whether this is a tactical act aimed to worry people about the possibility or is a genuine prediction is unclear.
- Friends are not always there for you. Celebrities and other high profile individuals have their own reputations to think about. Despite the Kids Company being able to talk about support from the rich and famous, they have been facing the media on their own this week.
- Happiness is hard to find. Apparently people in London are not very happy but on the whole the further north you go the happier people get. Not yet a particular political issue but it could be if businesses find it harder to recruit people if they become concerned about their state of mind. The lifestyle and livability of a city could be a future political issue.
- Union city blues. Despite the latest London Underground strike being well known to most, it appears that Mick Cash, leader of the RMT, and Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, forgot their media training. Appearing on the Today programme, Cash first followed by Johnson, both stumbled over their key messages and were unable to answer clearly the questions put to them. Maybe it’s the summer sun getting to both of them…