Critical analysis or just plain cynicism?

Happy St Georges Day followers! What does it all mean? How do we define our Englishness? Why is it special? Is it special? (of course it is peeps, before you all send me hate mail). Should nationalist pride be avoided in our aspirationally multicultural, multiracial society? How risk averse must mainstream sentiment be so as to avoid to unsettling the ethnic minorities who co-inhabit these islands? (I refer of course to the banning of St Georges day parades by Sandwell Council and some schools actively not celebrating our patron saint for reasons of political correctness etc. etc.).

I am surprised to see the lack of coverage of this great national day of celebration in the red tops, and can only assume that the lack of column inches (I make no apology for harbouring a love of imperial measure) was due to the fabulous opportunity to feast on headline grabbing news about the beasting of Nick Clagg, Jordan and Pete’s PR affairs and the ‘gobfather’s’ burial in Highgate cemetery.

The real facts about our patron saint make thought provoking reading; there is uncertainty about St George’s nationality (and indeed whether he visited these shores at all); he ‘put it about a bit’ in so far as he is celebrated in many countries; his dragon slaying persona is it seems, a myth added to spice up his image - although he is popular with the girls for saving damsels in distress (I’m more of a ‘fallen woman’ man myself, but I’m sure the gratitude of a scared maiden has it’s benefits).

So, this paragon of virtue whose name is attached to the best (naval ensign) and worst (BNP supporters) of British-ness was a Johnny foreigner, with no particular love of the English race and a big spear air-brushed into his likeness to impress the gullible. Now, you can take this as a metaphor for lots of aspects of the human condition as expressed in contemporary life, perhaps drawing parallels with Nick Clagg’s parentage, his Brussels based political apprenticeship and his bad-boy enhancing (alleged) torching of the greenhouse full of cacti.

No, that’s too easy. I prefer to use St George to observe the intricacies of communication. How do you give context to situations, paint a compelling picture for change, engage your stakeholders and yet still ensure that the truth is told and understood? Often there is just too much information to understand, the concepts are too complex and the need for supporting information too vital for full cognition of all the nuances and ramifications of a course of action. So we précis (btw how come the acute accent appears in précis but the circumflex is woefully absent in raison d’etre?) the information for the sake of brevity, we offer similes and metaphor to colour the context, we simplify the irrevocably complex to give access to a broader audience.

When the moment of truth arrives, whether we believe what we hear or read depends on the trust we have in the speaker or author. For a relatively small audience, trust is won directly, by the observation of actions which underpin integrity; for a wider audience though, that trust must be nurtured and fed in order to grow. You might apply fertiliser to a plant to accelerate it’s rate of growth and that fertiliser could be inorganic or organic, a product of scientific manufacture or a lot of bullshit. Both science and bullshit can help grow trust, and although one may be deemed more efficient and than the other it is arguable which is the healthier.

Churchill’s inspirational leadership in WWII garnered the nation’s trust and allowed us to keep ‘buggering on’ (you in the back row... yes you, STOP SNIGGERING!); this trust was based on Winnie’s character and statesmanship but was significantly enhanced by liberal amounts of BS in the form of propaganda.

And that is what we have in St. George’s day; propaganda, a need to believe in legend, in a communication process started long ago and unquestioningly accepted by a large proportion of the globe. That is what we have in the election debate – opinion and propaganda (and stage management). That is what we have in our work environment. What is a burning priority for your boss may seem like just another KPI to you, or an opinion to a co-worker, perhaps a mysterious irrelevance to another colleague, and management spin-doctoring to the guy in the post room, whilst the cleaner doesn’t even register it as background noise.

Makes you think, doesn’t it?

Have a great weekend, look after your skin.

Anne