I digress … thoughts on fish & the environment
Imagine that you whole campaign on one idea and encapsulating it into one message and soundbite. You are so sure it will work that you don’t test it before launching your campaign. Your conviction that your message will carry the day and win over the vast majority of MEPs and Member State Ministers is absolute. Indeed, … Read more
A lot of lobbying seems to like this: You make cakes and you like to eat a lot of cake. You want more people to eat your cake. You think that “ we must pass a law so that everybody eats [my] cakes.” You meet an official/politician who likes your cake. They are similarly … Read more
After 30-plus years in sunny Brussels, I’ve seen some good and dreadful requests for support. The Good A good request for support goes something like this. The decision has not been taken, and ideas are fluid; you are stepping ahead of time. There is a chance to influence ideas and move the needle. If asked … Read more
“Lobbying is the art of the possible” – not attributed to Otto von Bismarck I started campaigning for the UK Labour Party and a pro-European agenda. I got used to being on the losing side. Coming from the North of Ireland, my DNA must be instructing me that compromise is the only realistic way … Read more