Putting aside the corrupt scheming moral bankruptcy of Ford govt comms, which rely on False Flags to distract from their worst, depraved policies that starve and kill people:

Fake Beer Crisis is also a comms lesson on the perils of severely centralized msg discipline.
#onpoli

As I'm guessing you noticed quickly - all of the messages are *written in the same voice*.

Every human's writing is a fingerprint. Unless ruined by a committee of idiots (2019 Game Of Thrones).

For example, I could tell exactly which colleague wrote what press release/speech.

By just reading it or hearing it (in some cases I still can! )

Just like you can tell who is texting or emailing you just by the text if you know them and the name isn't visible.

The Fake Beer Crisis MPP msgs had to be written by just ONE person, or the same small group.

Unless every MPP has the exact same language and writing fingerprint.

(If they do the govt is actually a coup of hostile AI invaders probably from outer space. We need a more drastic Resistance strategy ASAP.)

Which means ONE PR wrote and 2 or 3 others edited ALL.

That may be one of the reasons Lisa MacLeod was struggling with her text, and tripping over words.

It wasn't her voice as her staff would be best able to produce for her (because they know her: that's a vital function you must learn when writing for other people).

Fun Fact: reason that comms lesson is important for me? It's more than a lesson, it's a scar.

Once I wrote a speech for an exec I knew well and even adored. One of my best speech drafts. I was even proud of it. So was the exec! He liked it.

Funny, clever. I felt great. YAY

Couldn't wait. I knew exactly where the audience would stop him to laugh, and clap, and give him a standing ovation. (rawwwww!)

Nope. Tripped over most of it, delivered key lines all wrong (timing and enunciating).

Because it was MY VOICE NOT HIS. My speaking style, not his.

He wasn't upset - even happy bc he couldn't feel or see how it didn't work from the podium. He didn't know I failed him. OR if he did, he blamed himself.

He was that kind of leader. A very good one who *inspired loyalty* instead of coercing it - AHEM.

But that's more of an aside.

Yes, MPP tweets and video messages should strive to be *their voice* aligned with the govt's message. Because it's more credible when it sounds like them and delivered with ease.

ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY.

BUT the Fake Beer Crisis MPP blitz was far more spectacular a comms failure than that.

This comms process was so centralized, the PR flak in the Premier's Office (bet 1 person) who wrote them made false local assumptions easily refuted by locals, or a simple Google Map search.

But wait. It gets worse.

When you make MPPs do the same gimmick in every community with the same lines based on assumptions that don't apply well locally - you offend their constituents. And the MPP wears it.

Mocking your local PC MPP became a provincial sport for one and all.

Not only that, the Fake Beer Crisis blitz required MPPs to effectively coerce local business people into objects of propaganda. Bc you can't say NO to a powerful official who is basically your neighbour.

Store staff may be embarrassed, rousing undying resentment and distrust.

See what's happening? The damage is layered and rolls: a snowballing comms catastrophe.

Taking everyone down with it.

Even hurting an already damaged minister. The same minister who sparked collapsing public support with a policy fail *this was supposed to distract us from*.

Because Dean French's centralized model (on a scale light years beyond escalating PM/PO power for govts of every stripe to the point it resembles fascism) of message control is so rigid, our Health Minister is encouraging us to get sh--faced.

That hurts the govt. It just does.

*But wait. It gets even worse.*

(the enormity of this comms fail, WHOA)

Far from distracting us from policy disasters that disturb everyone but the super rich and delusional fanatics...

...Fake Beer Crisis Blitz handed a HUGE stage for advocates of people the Ford govt harms.

So, this comms strategy actually drove Ontarians to think about *all the ways* the govt failed or fell short in its first year. Fails they may have forgot.

It sparked a participatory mass airing of grievences. With individual MPPs taking all the heat. Not just cabinet.

*But wait. There's MORE.*

You thought that was it?

The Fake Beer Crisis MPP Blitz fail is so epic IT'S A BUFFET OF FAILURES.

BUFFET.

(the next one will be especially upsetting for Conservatives...)

The Fake Beer Crisis was so big a platform - everyone and their neighbour was talking about it even while mowing the lawn (not even kidding) - it offered the govt's opponents a great opportunity to fundraise.

OUCH.

And finally...this.

The entire government mobilized to tell Ontarians getting them *booze* is their number 1 priority.

As tornadoes once again hit Ottawa. You know, the same place hit by once in a century floods every year.

*MAYBE YOUR PRIORITIES ARE MESSED UP. MAYBE?*

(It was as if a God up above gave Doug and Dean the finger.

But not really. This weather system was predictable days out.

Dean had ample warning that maybe this wasn't the best time to go all out BOOOZE.)

It does get even worse than that.

(See? Each time, the implications of this comms fail multiply. Never-ending when you think it out. That's why this thread could go on forever.)

*For Ontarians facing their mortal doom as tornadoes struck, their govt was literally drunk.*

Note: my threads are 'in progress' and don't end until there's this...

"[End]"

There's one more point that merits mentioning.

All politics IS local. So is governing.

If an excessive, hyper centralized, unitary comms model can spark such a cataclysmic, chain reaction comms failure...

Bc it defies local variations and needs, and the necessity of govt functions to be responsive and adapt...

...WHY on earth would we apply the same disastrous logic to vital health system functions, like Public Health?

As of right now, the Ford Conservatives are still planning to eliminate 25 Public Health Units. Because they tell us, centralizing is more "efficient".

Hmmm.

[End]