WILLisms.com: British Labour Party Campaign "Adverts."

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British Labour Party Campaign "Adverts."

The latest polls out of the U.K. show a boost for Tony Blair's Labour Party.

Labour's poll wobble appears to have steadied. Whereas four polls published on Tuesday, just as the Prime Minister was about to set off for the Palace, put Labour's lead, on average, at just 1 point, the latest polls, including three published yesterday, on average, put the Government four points ahead.

Part of that tiny-but-significant surge might be the introduction of a new campaign ad.

You can view Tony Blair's campaign "broadcast" here:

It's well-done, quite well-done. The production quality is high. The message is positive and forward-looking. It reassures people that Labour is very much pro-market (although that's certainly debatable). It is also remarkably lengthy.

The ads feature Tony Blair sitting at a table with Gordon Brown, discussing their successes over the past several years, in a very conversational style. Unless the two are talented actors we don't know about, the ad is mostly unscripted and natural. There are about seven thousand references to "values," which is not an accident.

While the "advert" makes comparisons between the British economy under the Tories and Labour, it would be difficult to classify it as a "negative ad." It is reminiscent of "it's the economy, stupid," minus the stupid.

Labour has limited its attack advertisements to posters thus far:

In related news, the eagerly awaited endorsement from Noel Gallagher (of Oasis) went to...

Tony Blair and the Labour Party.

We were all on pins and needles, quivering in timorous, seething anticipation, for that one.

The Conservative Party mocked Labour's new ad. Conservative co-chairman Liam Fox:

Unlike Labour we don't have politicians talking to politicians.

Our prediction:

Labour victory.

Our endorsement:

While the race is somewhat of a win-win for American conservatives (if the Tories win, hooray for conservatism, if Labour wins, Tony "T-Bone" Blair, one of President Bush's finest and most important allies, remains in office), we, like many other conservative blogs (here, here, here, and here), prefer that Tony Blair stay right where he is.

UPDATE:
Patrick Ruffini has more.

Posted by Will Franklin · 12 April 2005 10:17 AM

Comments

Most American conservatives make this mistake, assuming that the British Conservative Party is similar to the Republican Party of the United States. The Republican party today stands for change and reform and is constantly coming up with new ideas. It is a party of overt positive thinking, where as the British Conservatives stand against any and all change. The party learned nothing from Thatcher, and stands now, as it usually has, against any change at all. While yes, they did support the war, they would be unable to carry the people with them in the cause.

The British Conservatives are unorganized and poor politicians. We are truly lucky in America that a man as truly good as Tony Blair is in charge of our closest ally and best friend of Great Britain.

Posted by: Duncan Graham Wilson at April 12, 2005 12:13 PM

Amen!...to Reform and change! If we can set an example maybe other countries will follow. I believe if the Democrats and Republicans in our country would wake up and smell the coffee, maybe we all would be better off! Most likely, our partisan deadlocking will not go away eagerly. As Americans we all should demand our elected officials to aggresively take the upper hand and bust up the partisanships ... It just seems to be such a waste! Government waste and waste of time doesn't get anyone anywhere! Increasing our economy should be recognized as something all Americans want. Smoke screening old relics such as Social Security needs to be recognized as a thing of the past! Our future generations deserve so much more! I believe where ther is a will, there is a way!

Posted by: Zsa Zsa at April 13, 2005 09:48 AM

Of course you prefer Tony to stay where he is, you don't have to pay for the many tax increases, or the cameras on the road side to generate more taxes, or suffer the high crime rates, or endure the country being sold out to Islamism / the EU, or the National identity being destroyed through the same PC policies and unchecked immigration that the right wing in the US despise.

Posted by: DelphiGuy at April 17, 2005 03:03 AM