What is the 2009 equivalent of Labour isn't working?

The Conservatives will win an early election if they can convince the British people that Labour's borrowing is irresponsible. Although speeches, telephone number statistics and op-eds are essential parts of the persuasion process the most decisive political victories have also been associated with iconic images that resonate with the public.

In 1979, Labour's record on jobs was captured by Saatchi & Saatchi's Labour isn't working poster:

In 1992, voter worries about Labour's tax plans were solidified by the tax bombshell campaign:

We now need something for Gordon Brown's debts.  What should it be?  It could be a poster or it could be a short YouTube.  Here are two inspirations for you:

If we can get some good ideas on this thread ConHome will translate one of them into 'the real thing'...

Comments

[David Cooper]

Labour. No boom. Just bust.

[Simple Tory]

Labour still isn't working!!

[GB£.com]

25 Years Hard Labour

Picture of someone breaking their manacles.

It will take a generation of pain to pay off the Labour Debt. Break the chains. Vote Conservative.

[Jules]

The Krauts have got it right....!

[Phil Greatorex]

Yesterday's future: today.

[Big Jock Knew]

Labour has spent your children's money already.

No more boom and bust - just bankrupt.

[pp]

labour - a false economy

[GB£.com]

Generation Debts

Labour's Debt burden will cost us all £x per year.

[Robert Eric Bowen]

Like all the first three:
Labour still isn't working

25 Years Hard Labour

Picture of someone breaking their manacles.

It will take a generation of pain to pay off the Labour Debt. Break the chains. Vote Conservative.

Labour. No boom. Just bust.
Is the best as it quite rightly questions what boom.

Of course economic incompetence must be targeted with attacks on immigration and foreign policy. It'll be a wipeout.

[Peter O]

How about something like this...

White screen fades into baby sat on white background - the child is wearing nothing but a nappy and is happy and smiling.

Voice Over : In 1997, Gordon Brown became Chancellor of the Exchequer

On wall is projected slightly out of focus news clips to match voice over

VO : And immediately he began borrowing

Cut back to child who is now about two years old, and is holding a small bag

VO : As Gordon Brown borrowed more and more year after year, who did he think would eventually have to pay it off?

Cut back to child who is now 5 years old, with a small ruck sack on back (the kind that a nursery age child would have), holding a large plastic bag full of something heavy. His clothes are slightly less neat and tidy then last time we saw him.

VO : Since 1997, Gordon Brown has added billions and billions of pounds to the national debt. Did he ever care about who would have to pay it all back?

Cut back to child who is now 8 or 9 years old, and who is trying to stay standing up with a very heavy rucksack on his back. His clothes look dirty and there are one or two noticeable tears.

VO : Now, the man who claimed to have abolished "boom and bust" has taken our national debt to over a thousand, billion pounds. That means that every man, woman and child in this country owes tens of thousands of pounds, simply because Gordon Brown couldn't stop borrowing.

Cut back to child who is now 10/11. He is carrying a rucksack on his back and a second one on his front. He wobbles for a moment and then sinks to the floor, unable to stand with the weight of the bags. As he falls we see that his clothes are in an even worse state then previously.

VO : When Gordon Brown leaves Number Ten Downing Street, he'll retire on a nice big fat pension, but what will it be like for the rest of us?

Cut back to same 10/11 year old child who is now lying on the floor, covered with bags of money. He is trying to get up, but is simply unable to move for the weight on him.

VO : Don't let Gordon continue to cripple our future. Vote for Change, before it's too late.

[Andy R]

Labour's done it again !!!

Record National Debt Level
Higher Taxes
Pound Devalued
Massive Government Waste

[YMT]

LABOUR,
MORE OF THE SAME
MORE OF THE PAIN

[P Watson]

You HAD one - the DEMON EYES
better yet try these -
New Labour - Hard Labour
New Labour - New Fascism
New Labour - Same Old Shit
New Labour -FOAD
New Labour - Selling England By the Pound
New Labour - Political EUthanasia
New Labour - Tories Caught In The Headlights

[Edward]

It's too soon to judge yet - the whole reason these ads worked was because they were products of the "election moment". Now is the time to tee up the national debate so that it focuses on areas where Labour is vulnerable and we, by contrast, look strong rather than searching for the "silver bullet".

[Elaina Brier]

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose!

[P Watson]

Peter O - you da MAN! I like it!

[David Belchamber]

Labour isn't working - again!

Brown's Bubble Boom and Bust

Brown's Recession

Labour always ends in tears

Brown's Borrowing led to Boom and Bust

Can our grandchildren really afford Gordon Brown?

[Mark in Coventry]

LABOUR

It didn't work then

It's not working now

[Norm Brainer]

labour isn't living but their debts are for life.

Labour: We know what you did last summer

brown isn't the messiah, he's a very naughty boy.

L is for Labour, L is for Lice.

[EarlRobo]

A FOOL'S GOLD

The large poster should show a graph of the price of gold in $ per ounce [Y axis] vs time [x axis] from November 1997 to the current date.
A large arrow with GOLDFINGER BROWN's face above it should line up with the $278 price when he foolishly sold off half of the countries gold personally losing Britain £2 billion in May 1999.

[Richard Dell]

Bubble on a picture of Darling and Brown as Laurel and Hardy. Brown: "That's another Brown mess you've got me into". Standing in a cowshed, perhaps? With a big slurry tank labelled "Redistribution"?

[Petrina Holdsworth]

What about Labour isn`t counting !

[John]

Inspired by GB£

How about the Ghost of Christmas Future dragging chains of debt into future years.

[Matt Wright]

The old PR people were very good. In some respects the modern ones try to be far too clever. The "are you thinking what we're thinking" was terrible, in effect there was no message at all and people either didn't know what it meant or were prompted to answer "no". Its tempting to re-use the very simple three word phrase - "Labour isn't working" if we acn't come up with an equally powerful three word phrase and related powerful message. It does have to be an actual message though not a crossword clue.

[P Watson]

When we had an Empire (show the world in pink)
we were ruled by an Emperor (Show HMQ Victoria)
When we had a Kingdom we had a King (Show George VI)
Now we have a country (Show picture of Brown)

[Ian Evans]

In Labour - and it hurts!

[EdR]

1. LABOUR'S DEBT TSUNAMI -- have Conservative survival policies on inflatable beach rings (or coasters and balloons shaped like them.)

2. A picture of a class of 1997. "BLAIR PROMISED EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION... BROWN DELIVERED DEBT, DEBT, DEBT, DEBT, DEBT, DEBT, DEBT, DEBT, DEBT, DEBT..."

[John Haynes]

Gordon's Brain isn't working
Turns out it never did !

[Tim Montgomerie]

Peter O's idea is my favourite so far!

Ideas for videos rather than slogans are MOST appreciated.

Thanks

[DanPat]

1. For a christmas election

"Gordon's present to you"

A picture of a bottle of red ink.

2.
A picture from the last scene of "Life of Brian" (or re-shot version, depending on copyright issues)

Caption "What bright side?"

[richard]

Tory Boom, Labour Bust.

[MHC]

Labour's 100% record: -

DEVALUED POUND

LABOUR GOES OUT WITH UNEMPLOYMENT HIGHER THAN
WHEN THEY TOOK OFFICE.

COUNTRY BANKRUPT

SICK MAN OF EUROPE.

[GB£.com]

I am sure 'Generation Debts' a play on 'Generation X' for you not-down-with-the vibe Tories, will be popular with journos too as it helps to label a whole generation.

Just bigging up my own genius. ;-)

[MHC]

Labour's 100% record: -

DEVALUED POUND

LABOUR GOES OUT WITH UNEMPLOYMENT HIGHER THAN
WHEN THEY TOOK OFFICE.

COUNTRY BANKRUPT

SICK MAN OF EUROPE.

[Onthejob]

it doesn't have to be hard Labour

you can make a difference...do you want to?

[Teck]

I think a graph to show rising debt in black, rising tax in red, rising unemployment in brown and caption it with "LABOUR'S RISING COCK-UPS"....

[Steve]

I have to say I think GB£ has a great slogan there for a poster/printed campaign, and I agree with Tim that Peter O has a great idea for a video/broadcast.

So, those are my two favourites so far, albeit for different formats (print and broadcast).

[Alan Phillips]

A court scene, with the verdict being read out, GB, you have been guilty of......

As a PPB

[Alan Phillips]

Or the cabinet playing a game of Political Monopoly, with Gordon being the banker, new slogons on the community chest and chance cards (labelled No Chance) Instead of the railway stations you have NHS, Education, Liberty and Finance. There's already a Go to Jail (but they are full) square....

Slogon to go with it

"Gordons gift to the nation this Christmas, if only it was a game"

[Mark Williams]

I'm
You're
We're all with Labour.

Just a quick video of company closures, redundancies, house repossessions and shelters for the homeless should get the message across. It wouldn't even require actors.

[Ian Bennett]

"THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER"....

- JUST IMAGINE THE IRONY!

[Alan Douglas]

For poster/print :

An end to Brown and bust ....

Vote Conservative

Alan Douglas

[tory boy]

picture of GB driving a cart overloaded with his pet schemes and priced. Reins tethered to a dying underfed overworked horse called the UK economy now on its knees.

[Peter Watson]

You HAVE a video -

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=AnxPuidq1qQ

[Osher Kazarnovsky]

Labour isn't earning.

[Alan Carcas]

Suggest you wait until the New Year, about the end of January, when chickens will really start to come home to roost.

If you think this is bad - brother, you ain't seen nothing yet!

[James Burdett]

The National Debt - Labour's Generation game, but there is no cuddly toy!

[tory boy]

Who's going to clean up the brown mess?

[rugfish]

Picture:

The 'Good Ship Britannia' is heading toward a beach where mum's and dad's and children are running for their lives.

Caption:

"DON'T TAKE ANOTHER TRIP WITH LABOUR"

"VOTE CONSERVATIVE"

[DiscoveredJoys]

For a video...

Done in the style of 'Porridge', only the judge says "James Gordon Brown..." and the indictment lists all of Brown's 'crimes'.

[rugfish]

In fact that should read "DON'T 'MAKE' ANOTHER TRIP WITH LABOUR".

[Ken Stevens]

Labour is going for Bust.
Be Conservative with our cash.

[Simon Jones]

Indebted by Labour

or

Pay Labour back - Vote Conservative

or

{pic of smiling mr Brown) Time to repossess his No.10 home

[Steve H]

A family are lined up, terrified and screaming against a wall and the camera zooms into Gordon Brown's chin wobbling and sweaty face as he pulls the trigger on a machine gun and executes them.

GORDON BROWN - YOUR UNELECTED LEADER - PUTTING FAMILIES FIRST.

I thinks that's a winner....

[Osher Kazarnovsky]

For a TV advert, I'd go for a '1984' scene. The ad opens with a brightly scene of a poster saying something like 'Every patient is seen within 10 minutes'. The camera then moves down, and indeed, people, walking into the hospital are being seen immediately, in a plush frontage. All around are posters telling us how wonderful things are. Multi-cultural adverts on the wall, the thing we see daily. People are lulled into thinking this is a Labour ad. The camera now follows a patient who has been seen by a triage nurse into the waiting area, behind some doors. Now the atmosphere changes, the 'air' is darker, grim, and grimy. The person we're following looks down, and we seen on his ticket a time saying 'due to be seen at 11:32', now we look up, and see that the time is 06:17, from a large digital clock (which shows seconds, to prove it's working). All around are people moaning, groaning, bleeding. Around the room are cameras, initially subtle, but the person we're following scans them, sees them. A water fountain is 'out of order', but next to it is a drinks machine, with a £2 charge for a bottle of water and 'no change given'. Finally, the person tries to get some water, hunts in his pocket for change, and out falls a leaflet, a real Labour leaflet. It would need to be something ironic, like some promise they've made, and the camera scans down to the Labour sign. The final 'slogan' at the end is something like 'Would you trust Labour promises again? Look behind the spin, make your own mind up'

[BrianPW]

A picture of Gordon Brown with the comment:

WILL YOU HAVE TO WORK UNTIL YOU ARE 80 BECAUSE OF THIS MAN?

[Tim Montgomerie]

Thanks Peter Watson. I'd never seen that before. Have added it to PlayPolitical :-)

http://playpolitical.typepad.com/political_comedy/2008/12/l-is-for-labour-l-is-for-lice.html

[Iain]

Labour buries us in the Brown stuff.

Which should be accompanied with a picture of a tax payer drowning in a cesspit of debt.

[Alan Douglas]

There could be a whole raft of quick ads, TV or print/poster, based on Monopoly (permission allowing) with specific squares renamed, or changing from one name to another, then panning back to see actor (if we can find any who look as despicable as Gordon ?) leaning over and sweeping everything on the board over to his side.

Community Chest could be Child Credits
Utilities = Renationalization
Go To Jail = heavy-occupied square
Chance = NO chance (hat-tip above)
GO = Pay TAXES as you pass
Just Visiting = Overcrowded - early release
Income Tax = Give us ALL you've got
Free Parking = KILL the motorist
Super Tax/Luxury Tax = Cancel 10 % Starting Rate

Forgive the crassness of some of these top-of-the-head ideas, it needs some professional brain-storming, but the basic idea is useable.

Alan Douglas

[Patsy Sergeant]

Yes, I think GB£'s Generation Debts is good, but John Haynes @ 10.33 -
Gordon's Brain isn't working
Turns out it never did
really gave me a laugh! Mind you -
LABOURS RISING COCK-UPS
is good too.

[mark]

Don't count on Labour.

Do the sums.

Vote Conservative.

or...

Labour lies..

..in a dark room.

Open our eyes.

Vote Conservative.

[John]

"Brown only abolished boom not bust"

[Charlie B]

Spoof credit card bill from the Labour Govt with each taxpayer's share of the £1.1trn projected national debt as the balance (about £20k i reckon). The amount to pay it off in 10 years per month per taxpayer (about £200?) for immediate payment.

Warning at the bottom, "if you vote labour it may take your grandchildren longer to pay off the accrued debt and you will pay more in interest charges"

I reckon it brings the sheer volume of debt home to people, it's easy to lose track of the billions flying everywhere - this is what it means individually. Also, most people have a credit card so they will feel uncomfortable looking at it.

[strapworld]

YET ANOTHER LABOUR GOVERNMENT
THAT ISN'T WORKING

also as iain dale is highlighting on his blog. Brown has done a Wilson..who can forget 'The pound in your pocket' nonsense.

Now Brown is saying 'No saver has lost money' !!

[JS]

Whatever poster is decided for the party it is good to see from his Christmas card that David Cameron is not exploiting his family !

[John Leonard]

They gave you 'The Broken Society'
Then 'The Broken Democracy'
And now 'The Broken Economy'

Labour - The Broken Party

[Mike]

Old Labour, New Labour, Same Hard Labour.

------

One poster, four quotes....

"You cannot spend your way out of recession." James Callaghan, 1978.

"You cannot spend your way out of recession." Gordon Brown, 1997.

"No return to boom and bust." Gordon Brown, many, many times.

"Fiscal stimulus is the right thing for Britain." Gordon Brown, 2008.

------

You can't count on Labour...

List all their wrong economic projections and the record borrowing.

------

Photo of John Major.

1996: Growing economy, unemployment falling, borrowing being paid back, best pension provision in the world. (Quote OECD & IMF sources for neutrality).

Photo of Blair and Brown together.

2008: Shrinking economy, unemployment above 1996 levels, record borrowing, amongst the worst pension provisions in the world. (Quote OECD & IMF again)

Still, things can only get better?

------

1978: Millions unemployed, broke, record borrowing.

2008: Millions unemployed, broke, record borrowing.

"Labour has changed." Gordon Brown, 1996.

Show Brown and Mandelson, now and then.

Tell them that they haven't, vote Conservative.

[Matthew Page]

Its got to be related to the debt we will have to re-pay if Browns spending binge goes on.

Perhaps an advert entitled 'Out of Control' with Gordon standing at the bar drinking down piles of bank notes.

Then underneath the motto 'Stop Him. Control Spending.'

[Paul Williams]

Recession? I'm loving it.

Click on link below to see a preview

http://i429.photobucket.com/albums
/qq12/hipsterwilliams/brown.jpg

[ceidwadwyr]

My version of the party political broadcast would be something like this:

Down beat bluesy version of 'things can only get better' playing in background as video shows in monochrome:
Workers being turned away from locked factories
Bailiffs knocking at door and taking the telly
A forest of for sale signs
Someone trying to see a doctor or a shot panning down the queue at A and E
A chaotic scene at a school
Soldier in a body bag
Threatening youths on a street corner surrounded by litter
Policeman filling in paperwork

you get the idea
Finishes with colour legend 'Vote for change; Vote Conservative'

[Roderick]

"It can only get worse"

[rugfish]

"Don't blame yourself....they did it" !

Picture: Labour cabinet -

"Vote conservative and help mend Britain".

[Simon R]

I think the image of scissors cutting through a 'Labour' credit card is a powerful one. We all know that we need to get rid of credit cards, Labour is like a tempting credit card that offers an attractive rate at the beginning, but then drowns you in debt. The end of the era of easy credit is something we can all identify with, and it should be identified with the end of Labour's cloud cuckoo land economy.

[David Belchamber]

Out of the black by Brown into the red.

How many generations will be paying for Gordon Brown's follies?

Borrow, borrow, borrow - to hell with tomorrow!

[Marilyn Hopkins]

STOP! In the name of Love! (Picture of upright hand)
Do we really want our children and grand children to have to pay for his mistakes?
(Picture of GB smiling broadly)
Stop him now!
Vote Conservative!

[Tim]

Labour Is Taxing

[jeremy wallis]

A standard photograph of Gordon Brown and underneath the sentence:

"Wanted Dead or Alive" Reward £1 trillion

[P45@CCHQ]

The Opposition isn't working - they are throwing their staff on the dole!

[Steve Tierney]

COMPLY. ACCEPT. OBEY.
Vote Labour.
You Will Do As You Are Told.

[David Cooper]

For a PPB, how about a "forward to 2012" shot of an intensive care unit with Britannia lying on the operating table, and a worried surgeon speaking to the distressed onlookers, saying something like "I'm sorry, the patient has binged and overdosed for so long that only a liver transplant will give any chance of saving her now. If only she'd been treated earlier..." followed possibly by loud bleeps, flatlining, and a red shroud marked Labour being pulled over the corpse.

Then introduce "alternative 2012", with Britannia being checked out of rehab in a full state of health, her family telling the medical chief how relieved they were for having checked her in before it was too late, and the medical chief removing his mask to reveal himself as David Cameron.

[Dominic Britain]

A great idea Tim with a little brain storming and with an enormous amount of issues perhaps a really good slogan could be suitable.
Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago? — a 1980 U.S. presidential campaign slogan of Ronald Reagan that referred to the economic recession during Carter's presidency.
It's The Economy, Stupid. - 1992
Turn the Rascals Out - 1872
LABOUR ARE STILL NOT GOOD WITH MONEY
BACK TO THE BAD OLD DAYS WITH LABOUR
LABOUR BREAKS THE ECONOMY CONSERVATIVES BUILD THE ECONOMY
REMEMBER WHEN LABOUR WENT TO THE IMF IN THE 70’S WE ARE NEAR TO THAT POINT AGAIN
LABOUR STANDS FOR concealment, duplicity, whitewash, cover up”
YOU KNOW YOU CAN NOT TRUST LABOUR
WOULD YOU TRUST LABOUR RUNNING YOUR BUSINESS
VOTE THIS LABOUR DICTATORSHIP OUT
VOTE OUT THE GOVERNMENT THAT GAVE YOUR COUNCILS THE SNOOPERS CHARTER
LABOUR GIVES YOU THE BUST CONSERVATIVES GIVE YOU THE BOOM
LABOUR IS BUST
WOULD YOU LET LABOUR RUN YOUR SWEETSHOP?
VOTE CONSERVATIVE FOR FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY
HOW FAR DOES THE POUND IN YOUR POCKET GO TODAY IN EUROPE

[pp]

Not a slogan a video...

OK

Brown knocked over by a car - wakes up early 2000s and doesn't remember the future.

Ghost appears and shows him
- Christmas past (newly elected shiney new econcomy on the up)
- Christmas present (early 2000s) borrowing and spending like no tomorrow
- Chistmas future (sees today (maybe next years) big brown bust), unemployment, debts, bankrupcy.

Brown asks 'how do I avoid that terrible future?'

Just then another car knocks him down, he awakes back in the future (today) with the ghosts voice ringing in his ears saying "sorry - you didn't".

[James]

How about a combination of credit card and piggy bank images:

Brown sitting surrounded by credit card statements, all saying in big red letters: "MAXED OUT" and "CREDIT REFUSED" etc.

He looks around in panic, then his eyes light on what is clearly a child's piggy bank.

Fade to Brown with a butter knife, extracting the pennies from the piggy bank, a look of smug satisfaction on his face...

[Timforchange - Theblueroomforum.com]

A variation on the old theme, being picked up above, "Labour Never Worked".
Various shots of key policies: 42 days, PFI, Education, Education, Education vs OECD, Pensions etc. etc.

Ends with clip of Gordon Brown saying yesterday "We have saved the world"

[James]

I like the idea of a series of images/sketches which show up the slogans vs the reality.

1. The headline on a newspaper proclaiming record exam results – 100% A grades…and a child of 12 or so struggling to read it, making out each letter painfully and making lots of mistakes.

2. A soldier in a bunker in a desert country struggling to cock a rusting weapon while a military radio relays a conversation in the background with some soldiers desperately calling for air evacuation, but being told that no helicopters are available. The soldier switches it off and turns on a transistor radio and catches ‘news’ which sounds like a propaganda broadcast from WW2, with an out of touch sounding minister proclaiming that the Armed Forces have never been better equipped. The soldier just stars blankly at the radio, emotionless, then switches it off.

3. A British family on holiday, children hungry, standing outside a holiday restaurant. The kids are clamouring for food, but the parents look worriedly at each other. In the background, clearly visible, is a newspaper billboard in English with two headlines:

The top one reads “British Prime Minister proclaims UK economy strongest in Europe”

The one below is reads “Pound falls to record low”.

Mum says to kids gently “come on, it’s only six hours to dinner time. We don’t really need lunch”. Family turn wearily away from the restaurant.

4. Something about post offices closing – perhaps kindly old lady writing a birthday card for her grandson, putting it in an envelope, then catching herself, as if suddenly remembering. Shaking her head sadly, tearing it in two and dropping it in the bin. The cut to her walking along a small town high street and pausing to look at the closed, derelict post office (sign still clearly visible). Sighs, pulls her coat tighter around herself, and walks on past.

etc

[Timforchange - Theblueroomforum.com]

Spend and borrow - tax tomorrow.

Opens on a shot of Number 10. It is cold and grey outside.

Cut inside, the PM is sat at his desk looking at his online bank account (Maybe a BoE or even Northern Rock account!). Around their desk are shopping bags with different titles of wasted spending e.g "ID Cards" with a massive GBP sign and the budget. There are several.

Graphic: Spend!

Cut to shot of the PC over the shoulder of the PM. It shows a debt of GBP1 Trillion.
Close up, we see that they are trying to arrange a further extension to their overdraft.

Graphic: Borrow!

Shot of the online account debt increasing.
Close up of PM's mouth. A smile is emerging.

Wide shot: The PM leans back in his seat and puts his hands behind his head.
Close up of mouth. The smile turns to the smug grin.

Graphic: Tax tomorrow.

End super & Voiceover:
LABOUR: SPEND AND BORROW, TAX TOMORROW

Final shot: We see from behind that the PM is chuckling to himself.

[Dorian Occasionally]

OK. Gordon Brown has never looked chirpier now that we’re going to hell in a shopping trolley. His floppy jowled face positively beams with unrestrained joy midst the global gloom and despondency.

Video Pitch:

Conjoin footage of Brown’s smirking delight with the lights going out at MFI and Woolies, the shop fronts disintegrating as High Streets queue with huddled masses at the threshold of banks re-branded with Brown’s ever sneering face blaring out from red banners curling down the shattered windows.

Music by Cole Porter:

Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though its breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, youll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
Youll see the sun come shining through for you

Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
Thats the time you must keep on trying
Smile, whats the use of crying?
Youll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile

Cut music. Freeze Frame

Gordon Brown’s face in rictus grin.
Run audio: ‘We saved the world’ (repeat with decaying echo)

Black Screen

Fade in white text.

‘But spent your future.’

[Norm Brainer]

Thanks Peter Watson. I'd never seen that before. Have added it to PlayPolitical

I posed it first *stomp* *stomp* :)

Talking of the 1984 things I blogged an idea about that a few months ago here (although re-reading I think I'd had too much coffee that day)

I think the suiveillance angle is quite good - esp. the ID card, DNA DB etc.
Going on the economy is too obvious and I'm not sure most people would understand how it would be different or better with conservatives... if they don't realise it's all brown's fault by now they won't by election time.

Maybe have someone walking down the street helping people but everytime he does he get's branded with a barcode and as he is walking there's red tape everywhere that he keeps getting tangled in and stuck to him until he can't shake it off and is rolling on the ground fighting it... nothing comes out when he screams as it's censored.

Cut to a labour party meeting which is pigs around a trough watching and laughing at the helpful guy above on a big projection of multi-angle CCTV that's following him.

The man is then thrown in a rotting cell for not quite having his form 27b-6 filled in quite correctly.

Maybe to show the economy side a bit, have a little dwarf gordon brown in stripey jumper that creeps up from behind and sneaks money from his pocket and sniggers and runs away... then comes back and does the same with a swag bag to carry the money in... then comes back with a hoover to suck the money from his pocket into a huuge sack that keeps ballooning.

[Paul Biggs]

New Labour or Blue Labour - Not much of a choice

[Angelo Basu]

Montage of cheery Gordon Brown shots...

Voice Over: This is the man who sold our gold just before everyone else started buying.
This is the man who found healthy private pensions and taxed them out of existence.

This is the man who borrowed heavily when all the smart people were repaying their debts.
This is the man who spent your money on banks who had already wasted what you had given them.
This is the man who taxed the poor to give more to the rich.
This is the man who made you fill out forms to get back your own money which he had taken.
This is the man who made more new jobs for diversity co-ordinators than for maths teachers in primary schools

This is the man who didn't think he needed a roof and is happy when it rains ("we have saved the world").

If only everything in life wasn't as dependable as a Labour Government.

Vote Conservative

[Norm Brainer]

This is the man who didn't think he needed a roof and is happy when it rains
With Garbage as the soundtrack?

[Peter O]

Thanks for the positive comments on my tv ad idea. However, I demand that my adorably cute son gets the lead role if Tim decides to produce a mock up...

[David T Breaker]

I have a few ideas;

Firstly a spoof of the Spam sketch from Monty Python, with debt rather then Spam. Family go into "Cafe La Bour" which has a rose logo. Gordon Brown as the waiter. Everything on menu involves debt (debt with VAT, debt with cuts, debt with tax hikes, debt with spam, debt with debt, debt on debt, scrambled debt, fried debt, debt a l'orange, debt shaken not stirred, debt spun not shaken, debt surprise). Past Labour PM's on the other table singing the "debt, glorious debt" part.

Alternatively Brown could go into a lavish shop - like on that Michael Jackson documentary a few years back - buying all sorts of rubbish. The shop keeper goes to hand him the bill but Brown says "oh sorry, I'm not paying, they are" as he points to public outside in the cold with faces pushed against shop window.

Also for a slogan/poster/video: "Some people go into the casino and put everything on black. Some people go into the casino and put everything on red. Whatever you do this election, don't put anything on Brown." Or change the last line to "Labour went into the casino and put everything on Brown...but they don't mind, it wasn't their money, it was yours."

And the song, a Michael Jackson spoof: "Don't blame it on the sub-prime, don't blame it on Barclays, don't blame it on HBOS, blame it on the Brown / he just can't, he just can't, he just can't control the debt; he just can't, he just can't, he just can't repay the debt..."

[Felicity Mountjoy]

That link doesn't work Peter!

[Tim Montgomerie]

I like the spam/ debt idea David!!!

:-)

[Jamie]

So I take it we've decided the British people want us to go negative?

[David T Breaker]

Or a montage of cheesy Gordon grin shots, especially that one of him in the car, with a rerecorded and partly rewrote backing track of Nat King Cole's "Smile".

[Peter O]

Try

[Peter O]

Try this link instead Felicity

[snegchui]

In view of how Gordon seized power (locked down all dissent squeezed Lab back-bevnchers so there wasn't even a Lab PParty election) and how he squeezes the life out of any debate and his ability to play McCavity's cat:
Skits
On Dance of the 7 Veils revealing grimmer and grimmer scenes as soundbite after soundbite is teased away
Jungle Book, Kaa's song to hypnotise Mowgli
A Harry Potter Dementor
Lord of the Rings chasing power for the sake of power as Urukhai patrol the streets
and LAstly Disney's Wizard's Apprentice

A range to appeal across all age groups.
If he repeats his I saved the World, a Superman skit. Remember Superman really did help beat the KKK by satire.
And the way Labour operates in shadows and without transparency, very open to this.