‘Tina’s take…’
Tina’s take…’
Coming up: democratic disruption; scousers and cocaine; a marble mattress; an encounter with a pop star…
Hello and welcome to Edition No.6 of Tina’s Take, the newsletter which tries to help us understand what’s driving people’s frustration and distrust of organisations, institutions and leaders, so we’re better equipped to turn things around.
Democratic disruption: seeing our collective blind spot 🧑✈️
I’ve said for years that voters will keep using every democratic event to disrupt the political order until politicians put right where we’ve gone wrong and deliver what people are repeatedly voting for and failing to get. Even though Kemi’s Tory Party remedial work is underway and it is now Labour causing chaos, Westminster overall remains a big disappointment to your average voter. This month’s seismic results across a range of elections were yet another vote of ‘no confidence’ in the political class. Whatever Labour does next, there is much work for all political parties still to do.
Business leaders also have good reason to complain about politicians of all stripes. But that doesn’t mean the corporate world is playing no part in causing the disaffection and demand for change which underlies continuing democratic disruption. The same voters sticking two fingers at traditional political parties when they place their cross in another box, are also those increasingly most distrustful of institutions, big business and mainstream media.
Any chance of achieving the stability everyone craves involves working together, joining the dots and addressing our common principal flaw: disrespecting people whose explicit or tacit support we rely on for the decisions we make and actions we take. We have a big blind spot when it comes to seeing the things we do that are pushing people away and into the arms of those we believe will make matters worse.
Take television. A clear test of bosses’ respect of different audiences, is how their lives are portrayed on screen. Which is why Jimmy Mulville’s recent remarks about dramas set in Liverpool stereotyping scousers by “all having a bag of cocaine in them”made me sit up and cheer. As well as being a hugely successful television producer, he co-hosts with Peter Fincham (ex-boss of BBC and ITV) The Insiders, an entertaining as well as insightful podcast about the television industry. But even Jimmy Mulville – who rightly called on BBC execs to “wake up and smell the coffee” if the vast majority of people in northern cities are to see themselves reflected fairly in TV dramas – agreed with Peter Fincham in another episode when discussing the changing nature of what’s acceptable on television, that the “bigoted” and “racist” Alf Garnett sitcom character was a “prototype Reform voter”. Really?! The people of St Helens might disagree.
Retailing and transport are other sectors where things are happening to cause people angst and believe we’ve lost the plot. In recent weeks we’ve seen Waitrose and Morrisons sack loyal employees for tackling thieves, and the bus companyMetroline do the same to one of its drivers. These decisions by bosses may be in line with policy, but they are so far out-of-step with the views and values of their law-abiding, paying customers, they feel like contempt for the people on whom the success of these businesses depends.
There’s a misplaced belief that external forces (misinformation, ‘the far right’, populists) are pulling people away. Yet we are not seeing how our own disrespect and basic failings are pushing people to choose anyone and anything but us.
Without doubt, the Government needs to get its act together and as I’ve already said, the whole political class has much work to do. Westminster is the place where the worst offences take place. But achieving the stability necessary for creating new opportunities and economic growth will need more than politicians to deliver what people keep voting for and have yet to get. It’s time we all opened our eyes and see where we’ve gone blind.
Tips and Recommendations: 📺 👩💻🎧
On a cheerier note…..
Drama to enjoy: 🎭 📺 Notwithstanding the need for dramas set in Liverpool that don’t include bags of cocaine, The Cage on BBC One/iPlayer featuring Sheridan Smith is superb.
The first series of The Pitt on HBO is also brilliant. I haven’t started the second yet, but I’m hoping there is more of Dr Jack Abbot next time around. I was delighted to discover that Shawn Hatosy, the actor who plays him, is also in Southland, an excellent American police drama that I found on Netflix (thanks Adrian Woolridge and Simon Sebag Montefiore).
Art to see: 🎨🖼️👩🎨 Whilst in Amsterdam this month, I visited the Rijksmuseum. It’s not the sort of thing I’d usually recommend, but this portrait by Anthonis Mor of Sir Thomas Gresham mesmerised me. As did the marble mattress underneath theSleeping Hermaphroditus on loan from the Louvre. Amazing to see art so realistic that was created centuries ago.
Music video to watch: 🎤📺 As I arrived at Schiphol Airport, I had a flashback to the last time I was there – nearly 40 years ago. When I walked through the terminal in 1988, I suddenly saw the American R&B star Alexander O’Neal. He smiled at me. That’s it. But I still remembered!
Right, I’ll let you get on. Thanks again for reading. You can also read this on LinkedIn, X or my Substack, but the best way to guarantee you never miss an edition, is to sign up to receive it direct to your inbox every month. It also means you can just hit reply to send me your comments and feedback – which I’d love to receive.
See you next month!
Best wishes,
Tina
