A Code of Ethics for Actors and Presenters of TV Commercials?

I have previously noted on this Web Log that journalists in the National Union of Journalists have a code of conduct or ethics about truthfulness. Yet it strikes me from the way that the hegemony of televised adverts for what can be euphemistically called 'the Financial Services Industry' by strength of repetition, repetition, and repetition contribute to 'manufacturing consent'(1) for what Mo Stewart refers to as 'the corporate demolition of the welfare state'.(2)

One of the biggest UK-based branches of the 'Financial Services Industry' is Legal & General (aka L&G), that has extremely close links with UK Government L&G's 'For a more colourful retirement' adverts targeted at homeowners aged 55 or over for Equity Release [sic] are repeated ad nausea on daytime TV, alongside adverts for various charities' downsized versions of Lotto.(3)


It is little wonder to me that the paid actors involved in this TV commercial are so jaunty: Think of the millions of pounds they are likely to be making in repeat fees while these commercials are shown again and again.

Likewise there are the presenters of TV commercials for 'funeral protection' schemes. I have already commented via this News Forwards site about Alan Titchmarsh's involvement with 'Sun Life', and of course there are other paid presenters. Do these 'celebrities' give a damn about those of us who cannot afford such payments on our ever diminishing State Pensions after decades of under-supported jobsearch?

And do they really consider properly researching the 'services' or 'products' they are promoting?

I look forward to hearing from others, including members of the acting profession, on this matter, and how the funding of Culture, Media and Sport can be addressed properly so that culture, media and sport are not forced into a kind of 'prostitution' that serves the interests of institutions that make society more unhealthy, such as

• 'Big Soda' that has replaced tobacco advertising and sponsorship, and adopted the strategies and tactics formerly adopted by the tobacco industry, and
• Junk food manufacturers with their industrial impoverishment of workers via zero hours contracts and the like.

I have commented elsewhere about Direct Line Landlord Insurance adverts that promote the practice of landlords evicting tenants who have difficulties keeping up with their rent payments, while more attention should be paid to why tenants increasingly experience difficulties paying rent.

Alan Wheatley

Notes

(1) Manufacturing Consent was the title of a book by American Noam Chomsky, and while our welfare state is being increasingly demolished under successive neoliberal governments, so too does daytime and even evening television advertising financing become more and more dominated by those who stand to gain considerably from ever-increasing privatisation and deepening social inequality.
(2) I highly commend the research by Medically retired RAF medical veteran Mo Stewart into how the American Health Insurance giant Unum Provident/Unum pioneered the 'disability denial factory' regime of UK government disability benefit testing and became principal advisers to successive UK Governments in steering the corporate demolition of our welfare state, even while it was outlawed in several US states and nations.
(3) Lotto has long been 'a tax targeted at poor people', while community centres have become more and more reliant on The Big Lottery Fund, while they have become increasingly involved with 'data mining' on behalf of the Big Lottery Fund.

Petition: Code of Conduct required to control behaviour of MPs and help prepare young people for a better world

"Boris Johnson [who] came under intense criticism after briefing his cabinet on preparations for a populist election campaign that will accuse his opponents of 'surrender' to the EU. (AP)" —
Source: https://uk.yahoo.com/news/nigel-farage-to-be-investigated-by-police-after-take-the-knife-to-the-pen-pushers-in-whitehall-comment-141437964.html

Last week I had a conversation with a parent who was concerned that children are being led by campaigners — however nobly — to fear for the future. We also spoke about the court ruling that declared Boris Johnson's decision to shut down the UK Parliament had been 'unlawful'. I commented that though I've never been married, I have been a member of the Green Party of England & Wales for almost 15 years now and realised that that was a deep relationship in which disagreements could occur.

My friend observed that the MPs who promote Brexit are likely to be concerned about the EU's capacity to regulate their offshore bank accounts, while children of parents in poverty lead lives regulated by such matters as landlords annually increasing their rent while still providing inadequate heating devices. I mentioned the new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard as a way forward.

(I also commented that perhaps there was a connection between the nature of Boris Johnson's 'love life' and his stance of being the person to deliver 'Brexit' whatever, aka 'No deal Bexit'.)

A different role model politician

Last night after Hereford & South Herefordshire Green Party AGM, I attended a Big Green Gathering at Left Bank Village in Hereford, at which guest speaker was Green Party Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and Herefordshire Councillor for the Green Party, Ellie Chowns. Ellie centred her speaking around answering audience members' questions, and of course most of those questions related to matters arising from her role as a Member of the European Parliament, perceptions of Britain within the European Parliament, and the multi-faceted 'Brexit' controversy.

The much less well-known than Boris, but more worthy of exemplary role model status,Ellie Chowns, MEP for the West Midlands

She said that at a Questions and Answers talk as MEP at a young people's Climate Emergency Strike event, she had been baffled by the complexity of at least one of the questions; she clearly welcomed that experience as a potential for mental growth, as she said that the fear of appearing to 'not know' something should not hold people back from getting involved in politics. Those present at last night's meeting also concurred though that the reason Boris Johnson has not 'taken on board' the UK Supreme Court findings that he had acted 'unlawfully' in shutting down — aka 'proroguing — the UK Parliament, was that the right wing tabloid newspapers are his cheer leaders.

Ellie said that she dissociated herself as a UK MEP from the antics of UK Brexit Party MEPs who had turned their backs on the European Parliamentary proceedings while it was in session, but pointed out that she was not aware of that action at the time.

Neither the UK's right wing tabloid newspaper editors and owners, nor the members of the Brexit Party would be likely to respond favourably to an initiative of young people in Salford and Manchester in North-West England, and we should not be conditioned to respond to that initiative merely on account of the hostility that such bullies might have toward that initiative and/or to the Speaker of the House of Commons who has received a 'mixed press' in his time.

We should, I believe, respond to this young people's initiative in terms of its own merits and how much different we would feel about ourselves and the world we grew up in if such a Code of Conduct had helped to shape the world we emerged into.

1. What kind of world do you want for future generations? 
2. What kind of role modelling?
3. How can that be achieved?

UK Parliament debating chamber in session

Lisa, Jaiden, Olivia and Precious started this petition to the Speaker of the House of Commons

We are four young people from Salford and Manchester who think politicians should be people we can look up to and be inspired by.

But yesterday in the House of Commons we saw MPs joking about domestic abuse, shouting at each other, and using words like "betrayal" just because they disagree.

The four of us have dreams of working in politics in order to change society for the better. But seeing the way these adults behave and the abuse that they face will put young people off going into politics. It makes us doubt whether we ourselves should ever get involved and aim to work somewhere like that.

The language used by some political leaders yesterday and over the last few months has been so nasty, insulting, and dehumanising.

We don't see how they can stand there and talk to each other in that way when they are meant to be sorting out issues of national importance. There’s no way we’d get away with speaking like that in school or college, so why should they?

So that's why we have worked with RECLAIM in Manchester and Compassion in Politics - who want to make politics kinder and more inclusive - on a new Code Of Conduct we want MPs to all agree to. This would ensure that from now on MPs must:

- Not use violent or de-humanising language or name-calling
- Commit to showing each other, the public and their staff respect
- Put the interests of the public first, prioritise healing division, and help engage more people in politics.

We are asking the Speaker of the House of Commons to introduce this new Code Of Conduct as soon as possible - please sign so that he knows just how many people agree with us.

Young people like us are being shown an appalling example by some of our politicians and are being put off getting involved as a result. Please sign our petition to make politics a place of respect, honesty, and dignity.

Thank you.

Lisa, Jaiden, Olivia and Precious

To sign the petition, go to https://www.change.org/p/the-speaker-of-the-house-of-commons-a-new-code-of-conduct-for-mps-5553e26c-1ba1-41f5-b44e-55b0743d34bd

I should add that at the end of last night's meeting at which Ellie Chowns thanked those present for their support in getting her into the EU Parliament and praised the support she had received from her highly competent Personal Assistant Helen Heathfield, she went around bidding everyone present a personal adieu. Clearly, she wants continued support of like-minded others for the future and realises that such support comes of mutual respect and liking.