Halogen Communications

Halogen is a communications consultancy which according to its website specialises in public relations, communications, reputation and event management, strategic marketing, crisis management, planning development and property solutions.

Its development director is the ex chairman of the Scottish Conservative party, and ex government minister, Raymond Robertson. Its media consultant is well known Conservative journalist Tim Luckhurst. It has also recently hired ex Labour First Minister Henry Mcleish. As such they proclaim that "Halogen Communications is a collective with superior knowledge and unrivalled experience in politics and the media having a former Scottish Executive First Minister, a former Scottish Office Minister and a former Editor of a national daily newspaper included in the team".

In their initial website thay stated that Two of their main aims were to 'Assist the public sector in Scotland during this period of change and reform and to Assist the growth of entrepreneurial businesses. They do not make clear if assisting the public sector requires entrepreneurial businesses though the inference here is that it does.

Their updated website asserts that "Central to Halogen's business is the provision of public/media relations and political/government relations services and the team's excellent contacts with journalists and politicians prove invaluable here". [(http://www.halogencom.com/html/03_vision.htm)] Given the intimate links that some of their employees have with government it is perhaps unsurprising that they proclaim that these links may prove invaluable. They do not, however, make it clear how, in practice, these invaluable links can, and do, help their clients.

Services

• Public/Media Relations
• Political/Government Relations
• Property development, planning strategy and advice
• Media Training
• Direct Mail
• Photography
• Networking
• Strategic advice
• Crisis management and firefighting
• Event management and conference organisation
• Product launches and profile building
• Business to business communications
• Image consulting and publicity management
• Copywriting
• Website creation/New media
• Design/branding

Staff

• John Crawford - STRATEGY DIRECTOR
• Iain McMenemy - CAMPAIGNS DIRECTOR
• Raymond Robertson - DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
• THE RT HON Henry McLeish - GOVERNMENT & POLITICAL RELATIONS
• Kerry Whitehead - ACCOUNT MANAGER
• Tim Luckhurst - MEDIA CONSULTANT
• Debbie Whalley - SPECIAL PROJECTS MANAGER

Clients

Halogen lists most of its client on its own website including those listed below. It has not, however, listed the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland as a client on its site. The Lodge - also known as the Orange Order is often described as a sectarian organsations since it only admits Protestants into membership. It exists according to its own website 'to promote the great ideals of Protestantism and Liberty.' the link with Halogen was reveled as part of an effort to pretend that the Orange Order is not a sectarian and Protestant Supremacist organisation. As the Scotland on Sunday reported: 'Grand Master Ian Wilson is keen to meet Archbishop Mario Conti as part of a broader public relations blitz by the exclusively Protestant organisation aimed at improving its public image.'

Halogen PR, a company set up by former MP and Scottish Conservative chairman Raymond Robertson, has been hired by the Order. Spokesman Iain McMenemy said: "We want to make it clear that the Order has a zero-tolerance policy on anything paramilitary or singing any bigoted songs. They have also made it clear that the so-called Buckfast brigade with their Rangers tops and flags are no longer welcome." Given that the Orange anthem The Sash celebrates orangeism which is intrinsically sectarian by definition it is difficult to see how this can be accomplished apart from by spin and pretence.

clients listed on the Halogen website

• Sainsbury's Bank | West Lothian College | UA Group | Scotland's National Film Studio | Muir Construction | Central College of Commerce | Wemyss and March Estates | Angus Council | Equal Scotland Project | William Hill Bookmakers | Government Of Japan | Jewel & Esk Valley College | JS Crawford Partnership | Abbeyforth Security | Hot Bite Vending | Rubicon Risk Assessment | Sancroft | Frogmore Property Development | Makanyane South Africa | Ben & Jerry's | Glenrothes College | Fender Sturrock | Memex | Carnegie | Glen Communications | Forbo | Bestcardforyou.com | Central Law Training