An Ideal we can Relate to...

This month brought with it the inauguration of Barack Obama. In front of the Lincoln Memorial he stood just hours before becoming president and summarised the challenges facing America, namely the war and the economy. He ended by saying “the true character of our nation is revealed not during times of comfort and ease, but by the right we do when the moment is hard”. I feel this is an ideal that is applicable not just to a whole nation but to small businesses here in the UK also.

The time is coming when hard decisions have to be made and we do things that we maybe don’t really want to do. It will, more than likely, become an achievement as a business to survive. However if we come out the other side of all of this in one piece it says something not just about the business itself but more importantly how we as people helped it through.

Obama will only be around for a term or two but the impact of the economic crisis may be around for a lot longer. Inspirational speeches and celebrity concerts will only go so far, and every business cannot expect to raise funds in the same way as a presidential candidate. Sometimes it’s just good, simple hard graft that is needed, it’s not glamorous but it’s what we Brits do best I think.

What is interesting though is that those who most would argue don’t really do any ‘real’ work will mostly likely be fine. Pop stars, T.V. presenters, anyone in entertainment really, are still quite safe. People still want to be able to turn on the telly in the morning and watch GMTV or be able to turn their MP3 player on and not have to listen to the same songs again because it’s too expensive to record new ones. However it is somewhat hard to begrudge them when it is they that will bring a certain relief to each day, even if it is just to mindlessly watch a bunch of arguing about who’s going to be evicted next.

It is slightly worrying though to think that possibly the safest place to be in the next few months or years may be the Big Brother house.

The Importance of Diplomacy

A new year has begun, usually a time for optimism about all the things we are going to change and achieve through all those resolutions (which will be broken by February!).

However for the people of Gaza the New Year is not bringing hope or optimism, but a continuation of the troubled situation between Palestine and Israel. While both sides clearly believe that they are justified for their actions, many innocent lives are being lost.

Diplomacy within the region is a fragile concept, with ceasefires continually broken and the world divided over who is right and who is wrong. International leaders have been eager to comment on the situation in Gaza, and a cynic could say that it gives these leaders a good opportunity to improve their image as world leaders. The Public Affairs cogs have been rapidly turning, providing interviews and press conferences as a platform to express opinions.

One only has to look to the thousands of demonstrators who turned out across Europe calling for an end to the violence as a measure of public opinion. However, as is often the case, within such a volatile region the merits of diplomacy are often forgotten or, at best, placed firmly on the sidelines.

The situation is Gaza has helped me to gain some new perspective. With people complaining that our economy is weak and the fear that we may not be able to afford the luxuries we have become so accustomed to, it is easy to lose valuable perspective. However, when you so sit back and take a look at the world around us and what is happening in it, suddenly our year ahead does not look as bleak as we are being led to believe.

Although a sombre beginning for many, I hope 2009 proves all the sceptics wrong.