Oasis media feud shows cover-ups just make things worse
What’s the story, morning glory? This week it has all been Oasis. Fans enjoying seeing their favourite band, the uptick for the local economy, complaints about accommodation prices from the Fringe, and even a proposal at a gig.
What has screamed out in a different way is the media feud between Liam Gallagher, and Edinburgh City Council with repeated foul-mouthed rants from the Oasis frontman about newspaper reports of comments recorded in the minutes of a council Safety Advisory Group last October.
That Liam Gallagher blames the Lord Provost and councillors is understandable, if genuinely misplaced. Safety groups only contain council officers, but what some have failed to grasp is that councillors are the public face of the organisation and are accountable for it.
The council corporate view is that Labour Council Leader Jane Meagher is “desperately keen to smooth things over”. But social media critics have immediately claimed she was lying by saying “these things were not said” about the reported slurs regarding Oasis fans.
Well, dear reader, I’ve been through the freedom of information (FOI) release so you don’t have to, and the trouble is that something very like them was said. All the following are in the minutes: “Expect a mixed crowd with substantial amount of older fans due to this being the 30th anniversary”. “Expect energetic high-spirited audience” and “medium to high intoxication”.
Probably the worst for us chaps of a certain age was “middle aged men take up more room, consider this when working out occupancy”. It doesn’t take much for a tabloid newspaper to turn this into “Council says Oasis fans are old, rowdy, drunk and fat.”
If you are going to deny things you must be clear about the truth. The minutes attribute the first three comments above to someone from Oasis’ own promoter – DF Concerts. If I was Liam I’d want to know this. The council seems strangely mute and afraid to pass that information on.
What can’t be denied is that the “take up more room” comment was listed under “council public safety”. So, Jane is wrong about that one and Liam is spot on – his fans are owed an apology.
This whole fiasco shows Jane, who is a nice person, struggling and out of her depth. Her crisis communications approach desperately needs an upgrade. The new first rule being no more cover ups – it just makes things worse.
Iain Whyte is Conservative group leader on Edinburgh City Council