Blacklisting: the great silence

I was talking to Newsnight on Friday about a story they were planning on the allegations of blacklisting made by the Information Commissioner against more than 40 constuction companies. At the time they were planning to make it the lead item, although in the end it got pushed.

The producer said to me that every single construction person he spoke to had refused to go on - all those trade bodies paid to represent the industry’s interests. That seems a bit surprising to me. Are they only planning to offer themselves up for interview when there comes along some good news story about how everything is wonderful?

Of course that won’t happen. You have to get out there and put your side of the story even when it’s going to be difficult. Especially when it’s difficult. I wonder if the same story had happened in retail, you would have seen the British Retail Consortium and all the supermarket chief executives running for cover and letting the unions do all the talking.

It doesn’t seem enough to say “well it probably doesn’t go on very much” and “it’s probably all historical” and hope everyone forgets about it. That argument didn’t wash very well during the OFT cover pricing inquiry and it doesn’t washg very well now.

It just makes you look complacent and slippery. And the next time you want something from the government, they are going to give you even less credence.