So I call this City fund manager, a guy I’ve known for 20 years, for a friendly chat.
We gas away for 15 minutes or so. Then he says something I want to use in print. Can I?
“Hang on,” he says. “I’ve got to go and ask the press office and the compliance department for permission to speak to you.”
We laugh. He gets permission, but is warned not to be too lippy. We agree a quote. He takes it to the authorities. Who compliance it to death. They don’t explain which rule the original quote could possibly have broken.
What we are left with is unusable. So I don’t use it.
We both sigh. The fund manager says: “In a few weeks, I’m going to get asked to do media training so I can help with PR. Get our name in the paper more often. I’ve had it with this stuff.” (He doesn’t say “stuff”.)
This nonsense has gotten totally out of hand.
That old sweetheart Buggles turned out to be wrong that video would kill the radio star.
Compliance might genuinely do for the PR department though.
