Gordon Reece

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Sir James Gordon Reece, KB (b. 28 September 1929, Liverpool - d. 22 September 2001, London) was a journalist, television producer who worked as a political strategist for Margaret Thatcher during the 1979 general election which led to her victory over then prime minister James Callaghan.


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[edit] Early years

Reece was the son of a car salesman who was successful enough to send his son to Ratcliffe College, a Roman Catholic boarding school in Leicestershire (a contemporary was Norman St John Stevas, now Lord St John of Fawsley). He read Law at Downing College, Cambridge and decided on a career in journalism. He then worked for a time with the Liverpool Daily Post and then the Sunday Express. In 1960 he switched to train as a television producer and went on to work for ITN's News at Ten and produce religious programmes and chat shows.


[edit] Political strategist

The connection with Margaret Thatcher was an accident. In 1970 James Garratt was putting together a group of media specialists to help Ted Heath win the general election. The group needed somebody to edit the party's election broadcasts and Garratt asked a friend at Associated Television, who suggested Reece. In the 1970 and 1974 general elections he came into contact with Thatcher and helped when she launched her successful bid for the party leadership in February 1975. It was his idea that she should be filmed as an ordinary housewife. By now he had established a cassette-video company, which was taken over by EMI. He took leave from the company to help Thatcher with television appearances.

It was Thatcher's decision to make him her Publicity Director in 1978, realising the importance of television in modern politics. One of Reece's first decisions was to appoint Saatchi & Saatchi Garland Compton as the party's advertising agency the following month. Reece wanted a new company which would seize the opportunity to make its name. He gave the relatively new agency a comprehensive brief and a great deal of latitude. The agency made a breakthrough in political advertising.

Reece also did much to remake Thatcher. His intuition, reinforced by studies of audience reactions to her television performances, led him to believe that she was seen as "uncaring". It was a combination of her hair, clothes and "that voice". He worked to soften her image. He hired a National Theatre coach to teach her to practise humming exercises in order to lower and deepen her voice, advised on clothing, accompanied her to her television and radio interviews, and made sure that she avoided combative interviewers who would make her strident.[citation needed]

His opposition to a proposed television debate between Thatcher and the Prime Minister, James Callaghan, in 1979, was crucial. He spoke of Thatcher as a highly trained and temperamental filly. He was a reassuring presence and helped her to relax. Reece gained a great deal of credit for the changes in Thatcher (he was often called a "Svengali"). The reputation suited both his image and his career. The less he flaunted his influence, the more was attributed to him.

He used the tabloids to target housewives in Labour households. He dismissed politicians' interests in television programmes like Newsnight and in the broadsheets. "You have to appeal to ordinary voters, who are not very interested in politics", he stated. When researchers pointed out that the party had not significantly increased its vote among women, Reece countered by claiming that women were the opinion leaders in the home. To cater for the demands of television and the press for striking pictures, he developed the idea of photo opportunities.

[edit] Private life

A father of six and a devout Roman Catholic, Reece was distraught when his wife left him, and later divorced him. The idea of remarriage was inconceivable to him. When he was diagnosed with cancer, which would claim his life shortly before his 72nd birthday, he traveled to the United States for treatment. He remained in the States for a considerable period of time, and held a green card until he returned home to finish his days.[citation needed]

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