Nick Williams
An amazing example of the differences between British and American conservatives is shown by Prime Minister David Cameron’s proposal for binding shareholder votes on executive pay. On this side of the pond, that would get you bounced out of the Republican party. When Democrats proposed, non-binding votes on executive pay, they were attacked as “socialists” by Republicans.
My colleague, Nick Williams, has an explanation for Cameron’s move:
Fleishman-Hillard head of public affairs Nick Williams accused Cameron of using executive pay to divert attention away from ‘dire economic predictions’ in 2012.
He said: ‘With 2012 starting off with dire economic predictions the Prime Minister is simply using populist measures to divert attention. With a near-total dearth of good news, Number 10 will have to work creatively on developing these schemes.’
Even as a diversionary tactic, such a think would be unthinkable for American conservatives.
Posted in Europe, Great Britain.
Tagged with Conservatives, executive pay, Republicans.
By Bill Black
– January 9, 2012
Interesting AP story that polled economists gave Obama a mediocre grade for his economic performance. The critiques were varied, but what is striking is not one seems to have criticized him for increasing the deficit. Many, in fact, lowered the grade because he didn’t enact more spending or tax cuts.
Interesting that the increase in the deficit is the major platform on which every Republican is running.
Posted in Uncategorized.
Tagged with Economy, Obama, presidential campaign, romney.
By Bill Black
– December 28, 2011
A recent report by the Rhodium Group indicates that Chinese foreign direct investment into the U.S. slowed in the 3rd Quarter of 2011. Still the year over year number continue to reflect strong growth. The increase from the 3rd Quarter of 2010 to the 3rd Quarter of 2011 was 375%. And, overall, Chinese direct investment in the U.S. for 2011 is set to surpass the $5.2 billion invested in 2010, given that the first three quarters amounted to $4.2 billion.
However, the report also points to increased political controversy around China that runs counter to fairly aggressive charm offensive by high level U.S. officials, including Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke and Under Secretary of State Robert Hormats, all of whom expressed strong support for Chinese investment in the U.S. These comments, however, were undermined to some degree by high profile resistance by the U.S. government to some investment by Chinese technology firms on national security grounds.
Continued…
Posted in Uncategorized.
Tagged with China, Investment.
By Bill Black
– December 27, 2011
This just in from the Fleishman Hillard team in Brussels. A detailed analysis of the very consequential developments occurring as the EU confronts many of the economic issues head-on.
From Brussels:
Last night’s summit of EU Leaders ended up early in the morning with a dramatic outcome (see conclusions here) with 26 out of 27 Member States agreeing to a proposed Treaty change, leaving the UK entirely isolated and the 26 proposing to move forward on an intergovernmental basis. While further details concerning the nature of the proposed Treaty change have yet to be finalized and not expected to be signed off until March 2012, the core elements being proposed include aspects of fiscal coordination and surveillance, as well as further harmonization of rules in other areas, such as financial regulation, labour market reforms, taxation, etc. Continued…
Posted in Economy, Europe.
Tagged with Brussels, EU, Fiscal Union.
By Bill Black
– December 9, 2011
“I said before coming to Brussels that if I couldn’t get adequate safeguards for Britain in a new European treaty, then I wouldn’t agree to it. What is on offer isn’t in Britain’s interests, so I didn’t agree to it.”
David Cameron MP UK Prime Minister
“David Cameron’s isolation is a sign of weakness not of strength … It is not in Britain’s national interest for decisions to be taken without us even at the table and it’s a direct result of David Cameron spending more time negotiating with his own backbenchers than with our European partners.”
Douglas Alexander MP
UK Shadow Foreign Secretary
“Mr Cameron was right to reject a deal designed by the French, for the French.”
The Daily Telegraph
The UK has most of the EU’s financial business, but we have a minority of the votes. The City does business globally but pays its taxes here, so retaining a strong, vibrant, international finance hub here is good for jobs and our economy.”
Angela Knight
British Bankers Association
“Britain did not walk out of the EU last night. But let there be no doubt about it: we have started falling out.”
The Economist
Posted in Europe, Great Britain.
Tagged with Economy, EU, UK.
By Bill Black
– December 9, 2011
Fleishman Hillard’s public affairs team in London is out with a quick, but very insightful, analysis of David Cameron’s announcement that the UK will not participating in the EU fiscal union that was recently hammered out in Brussels. Worth reading in its entirety.
EU Council – Britain’s Veto
Friday 9th December 2011
A major part of David Cameron’s modernisation plan for the Conservative Party was to heal their internal rift over Europe. This rift stemmed from the Conservative rebellion against UK Prime Minister John Major over the 1992 Maastricht Treaty – a formative political experience for both Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne. In this they largely succeeded by producing a Eurosceptic party in which opposition to anything that hinted at federalism assumed the level of a litmus test amongst activists; the 2010 intake of Conservative MPs are amongst the most Eurosceptic to date. This was a purely domestic project, in which the implications for the UK’s influence in the EU were largely ignored. Continued…
Posted in Europe, Great Britain.
By Bill Black
– December 9, 2011
I like to say that, like the British Empire, the sun never sets on Fleishman Hillard. Evidence of that fact was clear tonight as FHers’ gathered from every corner of the globe for 3 days of meetings. It is an extraordinary experience to wade through the crowd at the reception and encounter friends from Dublin, Tokyo, Berlin, London, St. Louis, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Chicago, Milan, New York, Seoul, Atlanta, etc., etc. It is the epitome of globalization and the true manifestation of the seamless network that we justifiable brag about.
As a public affairs professional, it is absolutely fascintating to get “on the ground” reports about significant events occuring all over the world. I talked to a colleague who was on the phone with the prime minister of a European country this very morning providing guidance on a speech he is about to deliver. I talked to another colleague who took umbrage when I quoted a Financial Times article critical of his government. And then discussed a project that a colleague is working on with the President of an Asian country.
The dinner took place in a high rise on the 80th floor with a spectacular view of South Chicago along Lake Michigan. It was very convivial. Our CEO gave a brief toast, but clearly did not want to interrupt the comraderie.
A very good kickoff to the meeting.
Posted in Uncategorized.
Tagged with FH.
By Bill Black
– December 4, 2011
Dan Baxter
My colleague Dan Baxter, who toils away in Brussels for Fleishman Hillard, agreed to a quick interview on the issues confronting the delegates at the Climate Conference in Durban. Typically pithy and insightful.
Q: How will Durban be different from previous UN Climate Change Summits?
Baxter: After Copenhagen, the world’s political elite really backed away from the COP summits – it seems they felt they had over-promised, or at least failed to manage expectations – and since that time, there has been little appetite for bold political statements in this area. COP conferences have now been handed back to the ‘environmental elite’ – and as such, this conference is likely to be as technical as it is political.
It is also special timing vis-à-vis the end of the Kyoto Protocol, which in effect ends in 2012. There will be quite a lot of talk in Durban about what, if anything, replaces it; while it is generally viewed as an outdated tool for managing global climate change, there seems to be little consensus about how to update and replace it. So this will undoubtedly be a focus, and that will, I suspect, only add to the political nature of the talks.
Q: What are the two greatest obstacles to progress in addressing climate change?
Continued…
Posted in Environment.
Tagged with climate change, durban, environment, sustainability.
By Bill Black
– November 29, 2011
Edward Luce evaluates the quality of the political debate in the U.S. in
today’s Financial Times. Not a pretty sight. He concludes with:
Which brings us to the final concern: America appears to be sleep-walking into an impoverished debate. Next year is gearing up to be a tussle over who will bear more of the fiscal burden in the era of austerity. Should the rich pay higher taxes? Or should the middle class accept deeper spending cuts? The stage is set for two bald men to fight over a comb. Consider this: 2012 could be the first presidential contest in a century that does not produce the most powerful figure in the world. Whether it would qualify as good or hard, America needs a much richer debate than the one that appears to be in store.
Posted in Politics.
Tagged with U.S. Presidential Campaign.
By Bill Black
– November 28, 2011
Nick Andrews
My Fleishman Hillard colleague in Brussels, Nick Andrews, has a nice rumination on the desire for many companies to be left alone. He notes that companies in the throws of some public affairs crisis pine for the indifference of government for what they do. He brilliantly describes the mindset:
Broadly, this depends on a line of argument which goes something like this. “We’re really important to the (normally global) economy. You don’t really understand what we do because you’re not technical like us. We’re quite capable of self-regulating. We’re really very responsible (no, really). Best to leave us alone.” Whilst I totally understand the attraction of this approach, I have one small issue with it. I’ve never seen it work. Ever.
Continued…
Posted in Europe, Globalism, Human Rights.
Tagged with Brussels, Europe, Public Affairs.
By Bill Black
– November 26, 2011
