I bet this lavatory lady did more good than Cameron or Miliband will

I saw this little plaque, high up on the outside of a ladies’ lavatory on the Downs in Bristol near me.

Three thoughts came immediately to mind.

First, how thoughtful and imaginative of whichever body put it there to pay tribute to a lady who worked in a public lavatory. I doubt if there is any plaque like this anywhere else in Britain, if not the world.

Second, that the lady herself must have been thoughtful and imaginative.

Third, I think almost all politicians do more harm than good – especially the recent crop. What are they up to? Printing money, outdoing each other in promises they cannot hope to fulfil, pissing away money that isn’t theirs. Far less useful to society than the average lavatory cleaner.

I think, by the way, that prostitutes are often to be admired. I lived with one for two and a half years who had retired from the top end of the business . She was one of the funniest people I ever knew, but a bit crazy.

The other thing I saw yesterday was a sign on the side of a bus that read  “Some people are gay. Get over it.”

I think that sign probably does more harm than good.

About the Author

In 2003, the Chartered Institute of Marketing named Drayton one of 50 living individuals who have shaped today’s marketing.

He has worked in 55 countries with many of the world’s greatest brands. These include American Express, Audi, Bentley, British Airways, Cisco, Columbia Business School, Deutsche Post, Ford, IBM, McKinsey, Mercedes, Microsoft, Nestle, Philips, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, Unilever, Visa and Volkswagen.

Drayton has helped sell everything from Airbus planes to Peppa Pig. His book, Commonsense Direct and Digital Marketing, out in 17 languages, has been the UK’s best seller on the subject every year since 1982. He has also run his own businesses in the U.K., Portugal and Malaysia.

He was a main board member of the Ogilvy Group, a founding member of the Superbrands Organisation, one of the first eight Honorary Fellows of the Institute of Direct Marketing and one of the first three people named to the Hall of Fame of the Direct Marketing Association of India. He has also been given Lifetime Achievement Awards by the Caples Organisation in New York and Early To Rise in Florida.

3 Comments

  1. Drayton,

    The one good thing about parliament is that we can see the buggers and we have a reasonable idea of who they are and where they are. It’s a start.

    John

  2. greg waggett

    Agreed about Victoria. Excellent.

    As for the sign on the side of a bus that read “Some people are gay. Get over it,” perhaps there should be another that reads “Most people aren’t gay. Get over it.”

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