Interviewing Lord Bell on best PR practices in the Middle East

Al Arabiya English had the privelege of hosting former Thatcher adviser and PR Guru Lord Timothy Bell in a roundtable entitled “PR in ER” last week and we received good confirmations from attendees!

I moderated the session and we tackled issues related to how Arab governments can effectively communicate with the public as they are prompted to crucial economic and social reforms.

I remember him saying: “The only way you can communicate successfully is to explain (the strategies). Governments need to talk to people, explain to everyone what the intentions are and what they hope the outcome may be. And, you mustn’t tell lies.”

Lord Bell  played a key role during the late Thatcher’s three general election victories in the UK, and so when asked had Thatcher been alive to witness the Brexit debates, would she have been a supporter of the movement?

This is what Lord Bell had to say: “There is no doubt that had she been alive she would have been an opponent to the EU. She believed that we could work with them where there was a common interest but we should maintain our sovereignty and our uniqueness as a country. That is what she believed in.”

Below is a video of my session with Lord Bell: