by Chris Gibbons | May 1, 2014 | General, Politics
Will Barack Obama join the long list who have made this mistake before? Events in Ukraine begin to look very worrying. Having annexed the Crimea in a matter of weeks, Vladimir Putin’s Russia is poised to grab large swathes of territory east of the Ukrainian capital,...
by Chris Gibbons | Apr 25, 2014 | General, Politics
Politically, you don’t mess with either Russian President Vladimir Putin or his South African counterpart, Jacob Zuma. Neither has lost a battle in a very long while. Putin’s record speaks for itself: two terms as Russian President, then a quick side-step into the...
by Chris Gibbons | Apr 9, 2014 | General, Politics
“South Africa respects the sovereign rights of other countries to adopt their own legislation. In this regard, through diplomatic channels South Africa engages with Uganda on areas of mutual concern bearing in mind Uganda’s sovereignty.” You can’t get clearer than...
by Chris Gibbons | Apr 3, 2014 | Media Training, Politics
When brands get into trouble, there’s a right way and a wrong way to solve the problem. The ANC’s response to the damage caused by Nkandla is very much the wrong way. The late, great David Ogilvy, founder of the eponymous advertising agency, once reminded his staff of...
by Chris Gibbons | Mar 28, 2014 | General, Politics
Secession and/or annexation are in the international air. What about here? Crimea’s mainly-Russian citizens have just voted to leave Ukraine and re-join Mother Russia. They say it’s about language and culture: Crimea has always been part of Russia and was “given” to...
by Chris Gibbons | Mar 15, 2014 | Politics
As consumers and industry wonder whether or not Eskom can keep the lights on, rest assured that a significant number of vested interests are intent on maintaing the status quo. Right now, there’s a thicket of claim and counter-claim about last Thursday’s load...
