A sticky situation
- 10 Apr 07, 12:27 PM
"Get Nicky in a hair-net". That was the, admittedly, rather vague proposal put to the Breakfast programme producer tasked with arranging an outside broadcast (OB) from Scotland which would aim to focus on .
Why? Well, we wanted to be inside a factory, talking to people who work on a production line. Making politics relevant to people's lives can be a challenge at the best of times. Making the issues of the Scottish elections of interest to a UK-wide audience can be even tougher.
So we decided to try to base our OB away from the traditional political haunts. We didn't want to be in Edinburgh in the shadow of the Holyrood Parliament itself. So we approached to ask if we could broadcast from alongside their production line.
They are famous for making, amongst other things, Wham bars, Highland toffee, bon-bons and mints. Many people around the UK know their products and there was a story too - the company in the last two years.
And, most importantly of all, the workers have to wear hair-nets inside the factory in Stenhousemuir.
So Nicky Campbell paraded in all his blue-netted glory this morning (listen to the programme 
here). It made - I hope - for a different sort of political OB. It meant the politicians had to try to address what their policies would mean to people like those on the production line.
It also gave Nicky plenty of room for sweet-related puns. He said to the wannabee First Minister Jack McConnell, "we're surrounded by pinky goo-ey stuff - sounds like your campaign", and there were plenty of references to the political "fudge" which is expected once the votes are counted and the parties have to consider forming coalitions.
We still discussed Scottish independence, the Barnett formula, health spending, oil revenues, taxation - and other political issues. And Stenhousemuir football club too.
But hopefully the location - and the discussion of sweet manufacturing and of listeners all-time favourite confections - made for a good listen. As one person noted - we were trying to sweeten the bitter political pill.
And did it work? Well, as Nicky checked in for his flight from Glasgow Airport, he was greeted by the woman at check-in, "good morning, Mr Campbell - taken the hair-net off then?"
There are other elections coming up too... council elections throughout much of England and Scotland, and the Welsh Assembly election too. The 大象传媒's political coverage does get criticised for being too Westminster based - and this is a good opportunity to reflect a broader agenda. But to what extent do we succeed? Hair-nets aside, how else should we be trying to make connections with these elections?
Richard Jackson is editor of Five Live Breakfast
