The Londoner: Richard Curtis: We love social activism, actually

In today's Diary: Richard Curtis and Matthew Freud praise agile corporations / Ian Stone gets a call from Paul Weller / Vince Power on social distancing at Dingwalls / Craig Mackinlay calls time on his beard
Praising the power of advertising: Richard Curtis
25 June 2020

Matthew Freud and Richard Curtis have said that corporations and advertisers are in positions of privilege that mean they can lead the way on cultural change quicker than governments. PR guru Freud said “government is, depending on your view, slow, it’s accountable very rarely … whereas companies demonstrate their incredible ability to move quickly”.

Freud explained to the Cannes Lions digital festival that unlike governments, companies are “accountable on a daily basis,” adding that “the onus is on the corporate sector to pick up the baton from the demands of activists and the public”. Filmmaker Richard Curtis, who was also part of the activism discussion panel, said: “When Nike stuck up for Colin Kaepernick and supported him that was a classic example of a company sticking up for activism.”

Curtis, who directed Love Actually, continued: “We’ve got past corporate social responsibility now and we really are talking about socially responsible corporations.”

Freud also told the event that the public are “increasingly looking to companies for leadership”. Where politicians fail, will a new generation of savvy business leaders fill the gap?

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Stand-up Ian Stone, whose book To Be Someone — about his teenage obsession with The Jam — is out today, tells us how Paul Weller rang him. “I said, ‘Oh, hi Paul,’ playing it cool. Like he’s always calling me. And he said, ‘I really liked your book. I’d forgotten how s**t it was in the Seventies,’” Which is now on the front cover.

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New owner: Vince Power with Immodesty Blaize (Photo: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)
Getty Images

Dingwalls in Camden is to be taken over by legendary music promoter Vince Power (not to be mistaken for Vince Cable). Power tells us social distancing will be an issue “if you’ve got a punk band and everyone’s rocking out. And I, like other older people, still do some slamming around. But if you’re sitting down listening to a folk band, then that would be fine.”

SW1A

It’s hotting up in the Lib Dem leader race with Ed Davey v Layla Moran. Davey has bagged big names like Shirley Williams, Siobhan Benita and Jane Ashdown. Moran has Lynne Featherstone but also offers more Left-wing policies like free broadband. Watch this space.

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For the chop: Craig Mackinlay with his regal beard

Tory MP Craig Mackinlay tells us of his domestic beard drama. “The ‘King George V’ is in good shape but the battle with Mrs Mackinlay is virtually lost. It goes within days.” All good things must end.

The future is bright, even if you wear dog slippers

Amanda Holden recalled an advertising jingle as she donned a brightly coloured dress, telling her fans “the future’s bright the future is...” Fill in the blank. Meanwhile grime artist Skepta shared a snap with his daughter River, saying the pair were “inseparable”. And Little Mix star Jesy Nelson showed off some terrifyingly lifelike dog slippers. The Londoner did a double take to check she hadn’t acquired a taxidermied pair of mutts. When cute gets a tad too real.

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