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Northern Ireland manufacturing industrial rates campaign
Author(s) -
Turley Barry
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of public affairs
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.221
H-Index - 20
eISSN - 1479-1854
pISSN - 1472-3891
DOI - 10.1002/pa.329
Subject(s) - northern ireland , politics , realm , crunch , manufacturing sector , public administration , political science , economics , sociology , law , labour economics , ethnology , medicine , physical therapy
The Northern Ireland Manufacturing Focus Group's campaign to oppose the imposition of industrial rates was run by political consultancy ASITIS Consulting, based in Belfast. In a helter‐skelter two‐year campaign the group brought the business community into the political realm in a way never achieved before in Northern Ireland. The group organized the manufacturing sector into a potent political force which used a sophisticated array of lobbying and PR techniques to leave the newly formed devolved Assembly with little option but to support the group and cap the rate. The campaign was the only Northern Ireland‐based public affairs initiative to be nominated for a national award and saved the manufacturing sector £50 million a year. These savings are now seen as important, given the onset of the credit crunch and are credited with saving thousands of jobs. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.