The JSPrice Perception

Joe Biden and Mike Pence (Image: WFLA) So, the United States has a new President. In November's general election, Joe Biden stormed to victory against a disgruntled Donald Trump who will never accept that seven million more people wanted his opponent, and not him, to win that election. He made sure that the world knew how livid he was by the thought that he wasn't as popular (for the second time) in several key states. Only a couple of short weeks ago, he encouraged his supporters to express their anger for the apparent ill-nature of his defeat. And they did, by storming Capitol Hill at the time when Congress finalised the election result. It was mind-boggling and rather horrifying to watch. It brought me memories of watching the London Riots unfold almost ten years ago. Hopefully, what the world witnessed on Capitol Hill was a storm in a tea cup. The US has opened a new chapter, with 46th President Biden and 49th Vice-President Kamala Harris at the helm. I was pleased to ...

Oti Mabuse and Bill Bailey won Strictly Come Dancing 2020 (Image: The Telegraph) 2020 has been a huge test for the world. All of us had to change how we lived in order to help combat Covid-19, an illness that is remains a mystery to this day. It's easy to say that 2020 was a nightmare, but the only way for us to fondly remember 2021 (this time next year) is to ensure we do our bit to relegate the virus to insignificance. I'll look forward to the day when I can have the vaccine, for example, as we hope it reduces the rate of infection to the point where we can start travelling without wearing a face covering, attending the theatre, cinema or sports arena and see our loved ones in homes and restaurants without fear. Enough of me sounding like a government press release - every year, I award a 'Person of the Year', like TIME Magazine. This year, the magazine awarded its award to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris , who from 20th January 2021 will be the new President and Vice-Pr...

Matt Hancock and Boris Johnson (Image: Euronews) There is a phase that always makes my blood boil; "It's not what you know, it's who you know." I absolutely hate it because it is common practice in many industries, including the one I work in. When I first stepped into the public relations (PR) arena, I was often told that I'd have to know someone influential in the field in order to be considered for a foot on the ladder, or at least have a contact book full of journalists.  Even now, many organisations looking for PR professionals require future candidates to have people of influence they can have on speed dial. Many employers aren't looking for you, they're looking for your phone. It's a culture that's gotten on my nerves for years, but I appreciate that the buck starts with the people in power, which therefore other sectors echo. Up until recently, there was never an active buzzword to truly describe the scenarios I describe above. It is only ...

Front to back: Boris Johnson and Mark Drakeford (Image: WalesOnline) Just under a year ago, Boris Johnson's Conservative Party won the general election with a big majority. When I reacted to it , I knew that the government shouldn't get too comfortable. While the Tories emerged comfortably victorious, the country was still divided and nervous about the nature of the UK's relationship with the European Union post-Brexit. Nearly 12 months have passed and I must say, I'm disappointed. While I appreciate the challenge the government is currently facing, one which nobody anticipated this time last year, Johnson and his team could have used the Covid-19 pandemic to actually heal a nation and allowed closer collaboration with Europe to combat this disease. But the opposite happened and the Prime Minister has completely lost control of the country's state. As a proud Welshman living in England for almost seven-and-a-half-years, I have never felt like a foreigner until now. ...

Gone To Pot: American Road Trip; recent ITV show (Image: The Times) I am convinced one of the most contacted companies out there is Ofcom. The media regulator is often inundated with complaints about content provided by British broadcasters. More than 24,000 people complained to the organisation about ITV's Britain's Got Talent airing dance group Diversity's Black Lives Matter protest routine. The same show also received hundreds of complaints because of what judge Amanda Holden was wearing . And shock, horror, Coronation Street attracted controversy when viewers called the soap out for characters not wearing their face masks properly . These complaints I mentioned were made in the past few short weeks, and collectively almost level the number of complaints Ofcom received in 2019 . The regulator is obligated to respond to these, depending on how much of a headache they're causing. The biggest culprits, arguably, are reality and talent shows - I mentioned Britain's...

From L-R: Matt Dawson, Sue Barker and Phil Tufnell (Image: Radio Times) If there's anything we've learnt over the past six months is to not take our so-called 'healthy job status' for granted. As the lockdown has resulted in companies not receiving enough income to survive and the government's furlough scheme falling short in helping struggling businesses, unemployment rate has increased to 4.1 percent from 3.9 percent in July. Meanwhile, 2.7 million are claiming benefits (August 2020), a 120 percent increase from March. Soon, we'll find out the greater picture of how the pandemic has impacted people's economics once new figures are released in October and November. But I'm not going to dwell on people losing their jobs which was deemed, sadly, inevitable. I'm going deeper into those who have lost their perfectly safe jobs; those who have done nothing wrong apart from the fact that their bosses decide a change of personnel is needed, and today. I w...

Gavin Williamson (R) with Prime Minister Boris Johnson (Image: TES) In 2015, I argued that a Conservative government would never find a way to woo young people when they were excluded in key investment announcements and cut life-saving services . Fast forward five years and the Tories continue to find ways to really peeve off our youth.  What has the government done this time? In my eyes, the ministers are guilty for trying so hard to say to students that they're on their side, to then achieve the total opposite. When the Covid-19 pandemic began, it was clear that the health and education systems were to be severely tested. Thankfully, for the time being, the NHS has gone through the past six months without feeling overwhelmed or in a position of collapse. Of course, the Health Service faces challenges over the coming months, with a possible second spike of Covid-19 cases, an expected backlog of mental health and cancer referrals and the start of flu season, which killed more th...