Forums » Smalltalk » AMA: Lobbyism and politics

I'm based in Europe, so I am (thankfully) not involved in US politics.

I work for a affairs company, which lobbies and networks with politicians on national and EU level. If you've seen House of Cards, it is basically Remy Danton's profession (although not quite as dramatic, haha). We have all types of clients - some are doing great things, others are more controversial, hence why they need help. We meet with politicians, monitor developments in different policy issues, and try to influence the discourse and debate around particular cases.

I've recently spent a few months in an EU institution (parliament) as well.

If you are interested in learning about lobbyism or in politics for a reference to a character or you consider going into that type of work yourself, or maybe just wanna know what is even up with the EU, then feel free to write me!

Have you ever had to work with a client with whom you strongly disagreed on policies? If so, how did you reconcile that?

Yes - a controversial firm is more likely to need a lobbyist than a company in good standing, haha I see it as an exercise in "walking a mile in someone else's shoes". If I can see the company's issue in a way where I also believe that there is a genuine need for change, then that makes it both a strong case to lobby, but also helps putting political differences aside.
There is obviously a limit to that, as in we would never work for a client that, for instance, didn't believe in democracy or is conducting criminal activities, or something along those lines.