Difference between revisions of "Gordon Beattie"
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We’re in contact on a very regular basis, not only with politicians and the Scottish Office (sic), but also with business journalists, industry journalists, and movers and shakers within local authorities and local enterprise companies…So we’ve got our finger on the pulse of what’s happening in business and in construction. (Observer transcript 1999: 6) | We’re in contact on a very regular basis, not only with politicians and the Scottish Office (sic), but also with business journalists, industry journalists, and movers and shakers within local authorities and local enterprise companies…So we’ve got our finger on the pulse of what’s happening in business and in construction. (Observer transcript 1999: 6) | ||
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| + | Jack NcConnell had taken a job with [[Public Affairs Europe]] in April 1998, in between resigning as General Secretary of the Scottish Labour party, and being nominated as a candidate to contest the 1999 Scottish elections for the Labour party. Public Affairs Europe was a joint venture into the growing lobbying business in Scotland between Beattie and Edinburgh law firm, [[Maclay Murray Spens]]. | ||
Beattie is also a Director of [[Decus Ltd]] | Beattie is also a Director of [[Decus Ltd]] | ||
Revision as of 14:25, 1 July 2007
Gordon Beattie is the founder of Beattie Media one of the biggest and most controversial PR firm in Scotland.
Beattie Media came to public attention in September 1999 when The Observer newspaper published a sting on two key employees, Kevin Reid, son of then Scottish Secretary John Reid, and Alex Barr. The Observer sting had been inspired by a tip-off from a senior Labour party source, who was ‘appalled’ at the flood of job offers from lobbying consultancies ‘who wanted him to basically call in all the favours he was owed on their behalf’ (Dean Nelson on Radio Scotland, October 1999)
Reid and Barr were asked about their contacts with politicians and what differentiated Beattie Media from competitors. Barr mentioned his former colleague Jack McConnell was now Minister of Finance in the Scottish Executive. He also pointed out that the Beattie Media did ‘a lot of [PR] work with the public sector, and with large corporate organisations and we are constantly involving politicians in launches, exhibitions, speeches, presentations, that type of thing’ (Observer transcript, 1999: 3). Barr stressed Beattie Media’s links to the business community in Scotland:
We’re in contact on a very regular basis, not only with politicians and the Scottish Office (sic), but also with business journalists, industry journalists, and movers and shakers within local authorities and local enterprise companies…So we’ve got our finger on the pulse of what’s happening in business and in construction. (Observer transcript 1999: 6)
Jack NcConnell had taken a job with Public Affairs Europe in April 1998, in between resigning as General Secretary of the Scottish Labour party, and being nominated as a candidate to contest the 1999 Scottish elections for the Labour party. Public Affairs Europe was a joint venture into the growing lobbying business in Scotland between Beattie and Edinburgh law firm, Maclay Murray Spens.
Beattie is also a Director of Decus Ltd
