Brown/Cameron Gaffe

Good news for PR students looking for a job – it would be no surprise if two vacancies have appeared in the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition’s offices after the rivals both had to apologise for not asking permission from Westminster Abbey to have two separate photocalls. Quite rightly, the Dean of Westminster Abbey rebuked the men who were caught taking political advantage of the sombre occassion on the 11th of November.

Obviously someone should have checked that bringing your own photographer along was acceptable but what is particularly notable is the tone of the of fuss made over it. Most papers highlighted it certainly, but imagine the furore if it had been one or other of these rivals. Because they both did it, the tone is formal and sombre, bearing in mind the death toll in the current wars. However, if Cameron alone had done this it would have been screamed from the rooftops by the Labour camp, and vice versa. I wonder, if neither had been pulled up for their behaviour whether anyone would have noticed that Brown and Cameron created their own photos. Moreover, would anyone would care?

A certain amount of cyncism will need to be employed over the coming months as the election (presumed to be called for the 6th of May 2010) draws near. But perhaps instead of predictably capitalising on this photo opportunity the PR people for Brown and Cameron should have decided to opt out and thereby indicating that they actually are what the photo was supposed to convey, rather than risk being exposed for only going to the Remembrance ceremony because they had to.