CSM EDITORIAL
The dead cat strategy is the political strategy of deliberately making a shocking announcement to divert media attention away from problems or failures in other areas.
In the PR world, it’s the introduction of a dramatic or sensationalist topic to divert attention from a more damaging issue that someone wants to keep hidden from the media, and therefore the public.
‘There is one thing that is absolutely certain about throwing a dead cat on the dining room table – and I don’t mean that people will be outraged, alarmed, disgusted. That is true, but irrelevant. The key point, says my Australian friend, is that everyone will shout, “Jeez, mate, there’s a dead cat on the table!” In other words, they will be talking about the dead cat – the thing you want them to talk about – and they will not be talking about the issue that has been causing you so much grief’ Boris Johnson, Daily Telegraph 2013
What is the damaging issue that sits like a ticking bomb under Ruth Tingay’s ‘Raptor Persecution’, the RSPB, SSPCA, Police Scotland (and other UK forces with impartial wildlife officers) and the fading activist group, Wild Justice?
The SSPCA’s recent departure of Mark Rafferty, coinciding with the resignation of Nick Lyall from the excellent Bedfordshire Police force (Lyall would have been sacked according to the panel of honest officers who conducted a hearing into his misbehaviour).
Fakery, Dear Readers. Stats that do not stand up and staged events portrayed as real crime for propaganda purposes.
The Dead Cat?
That old chestnut of rogue gamekeepers killing birds of prey. Everyone knows the stats – any old Nelly can take a film of a random with a shotgun in a field or scrape some roadkill off a verge.
While the great and good who represent the British Countryside were bound to be asked to comment, and rightly did so to the BBC and others, they should not be put off the real scent.
For a decade now the likes of Wild Justice have been a menace to the Countryside. Now they are fatally wounded it seems odd that the Countryside organisations are not doing the honourable thing and putting them out of their misery. Maybe they have become accustomed to mere trail hunting?
While the favoured son – on whose social credit Wild Justice and their allies depend – goes mad, publicly ranting about breaking the law, takes a salute for hunt sab terrorists and urges Barclays customers to set themselves on fire, it seems peculiar that they would fall for the old dead cat trick.
The ‘blowing away’ horn sounded quite some time ago.
Do keep up.
You do all know/remember what happens next?
Those with further information on wildlife crime fakery should contact CSM using the contact page.