There is an old joke about former US President Ronald Reagan’s spokesman, a man called Larry Speakes. It was said that Reagan appointed Speakes to remind himself that Larry “speaks” for the president on TV, while Mr Reagan’s wife was officially to be called “Nancy Wife,” and his dog, Lucky, was inevitably “Lucky Dog.” Feeble jokes aide, Larry Speakes had a tough job. The White House press corps is a bear pit.
Reagan, known as “the Great Communicator,” was master of the set speech, yet less able dealing with detailed questions from reporters. Sam Donaldson, a TV reporter, made his name by bellowing loud questions at Reagan, which the president usually affected not to hear and rarely answered. But what made Speakes’ job relatively simple was that everyone knew what Reagan stood for – low taxes, small government, big defence. Larry filled in the details.
Now, for the first time, a British prime minister is to advertise for a Larry Speakes, an on-camera on-the-record spokesperson – in American slang, a "spox." At Westminster such briefings historically are anonymous. The new "spox" will be paid more than £100,000 (Dh480,790) and will probably be a woman. As prime minister Boris Johnson is regarded as having a "woman problem," meaning he has failed to promote enough women to top jobs, and so the betting says he will choose a female broadcaster. The speculation is all about "who?" but the real question should be "why?" Why would any qualified person want the job? Imagine, for example, you appear live on TV to cheerlead Mr Johnson's policies on coronavirus, defending the fact that England has the worst record of fatalities in Europe. Or how about Mr Johnson's "fantastic" opportunities for post-Brexit Britain? In reality we are preparing for endless traffic jams of lorries arriving from France, and possible shortages of perishable vegetables or medicines. And then there's the Big One – predictions for the worst economic recession in 300 years.
Perhaps this new spokesperson is to be Mr Johnson's human shield, the person to sacrifice when it all goes wrong
Behind all this is what might be called the Trump Dilemma. What does an honest spokesperson do when faced with a barrage of allegations that your leader is lying, twisting facts, or simply blusters with no knowledge? Mr Johnson has been accused of all these things. Does an honest “spox” deny he is lying? Repeatedly?
Press secretaries reflect their employer’s personalities. Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel has had just one for the past 10 years, the highly regarded Steffen Seibert, a man in tune with the calm manner of his boss.
Donald Trump has had four hapless press secretaries in just three and a half years. In their eight year US presidential terms, Barack Obama had three, George W Bush, four. Richard Nixon had just one, Ron Ziegler, in five years. Ziegler is interesting because even as the Nixon administration unwound during Watergate, he remained loyal until the end.
Joe Lockhart, Bill Clinton’s press secretary during his impeachment process, once told me that Mr Clinton’s staff – and he himself – remained loyal even though they thought their boss had behaved very badly towards former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. The reason for their loyalty was that Mr Clinton stood for something, changing America in a way they admired. They supported the plan, while being critical of the man.
And that is the key problem for Boris Johnson. With presidents Reagan, Nixon or Clinton, the “spox” faced hard questions but the core of what those leaders stood for remained solid. A spokesperson cannot invent a coherent message for a leader who is himself incoherent or incompetent.
A “spox” cannot invent an ideology for a leader whose principle goal is self-preservation. Mr Johnson notoriously wrote two versions of a newspaper column on whether he was for or against Brexit. Then he suddenly abandoned all his so-called “red lines” and accepted the long-rejected idea of a customs border in the Irish Sea. A “spox” will have to know that Mr Johnson is strongly Against Things until suddenly he is strongly For Them.
Bringing coherence is not a communications battle on television. It is a private battle inside a leader’s head – a battle which Mr Johnson has not won. But perhaps there is another rationale for Mr Johnson employing a “spox.” He has come to believe he is charming when making amusing speeches to friendly audiences, but he is very poor at answering detailed questions in parliament. Perhaps this new spokesperson is to be Mr Johnson’s human shield, the person to sacrifice when it all goes wrong.
Sean Spicer, Mr Trump’s first choice as White House spokesman, lasted just six months. Mr Johnson’s choice needs to be a credible person who nevertheless is willing to be pilloried so Boris Johnson can continue to be Boris Johnson. For a taste of what lies ahead, consider this week’s challenge – to defend Mr Johnson’s decision to award places in the House of Lords to people in his immediate circle. These include his own brother, plus a former member of the Revolutionary Communist Party which backed IRA terrorism, and a newspaper owner who is the son of a former KGB agent. Good luck.
Gavin Esler is a journalist, author and presenter
Health Valley
Founded in 2002 and set up as a foundation in 2006, Health Valley has been an innovation in healthcare for more than 10 years in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
It serves as a place where companies, businesses, universities, healthcare providers and government agencies can collaborate, offering a platform where they can connect and work together on healthcare innovation.
Its partners work on technological innovation, new forms of diagnostics and other methods to make a difference in healthcare.
Its agency consists of eight people, four innovation managers and office managers, two communication advisers and one director. It gives innovation support to businesses and other parties in its network like a broker, connecting people with the right organisation to help them further
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
MATCH INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
UAE v Oman - abandoned
Oman v Namibia - abandoned
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
The biog
Alwyn Stephen says much of his success is a result of taking an educated chance on business decisions.
His advice to anyone starting out in business is to have no fear as life is about taking on challenges.
“If you have the ambition and dream of something, follow that dream, be positive, determined and set goals.
"Nothing and no-one can stop you from succeeding with the right work application, and a little bit of luck along the way.”
Mr Stephen sells his luxury fragrances at selected perfumeries around the UAE, including the House of Niche Boutique in Al Seef.
He relaxes by spending time with his family at home, and enjoying his wife’s India cooking.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
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Second Test
In Dubai
Pakistan 418-5 (declared)
New Zealand 90 and 131-2 (follow on)
Day 3: New Zealand trail by 197 runs with 8 wickets remaining
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
UAE SQUAD
Omar Abdulrahman (Al Hilal), Ali Khaseif, Ali Mabkhout, Salem Rashed, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Zayed Al Ameri, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Khalid Essa, Ahmed Barman, Ryan Yaslam, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmin (Al Wasl), Adel Al Hosani, Ali Hassan Saleh, Majed Suroor (Sharjah), Ahmed Khalil, Walid Abbas, Majed Hassan, Ismail Al Hammadi (Shabab Al Ahli), Hassan Al Muharrami, Fahad Al Dhahani (Bani Yas), Mohammed Al Shaker (Ajman)
New process leads to panic among jobseekers
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
