Labour in cheeky rehash of Tory ad campaign
The Labour Party has rehashed Saatchi & Saatchi’s highly successful “Labour isn’t working” poster campaign which helped Margaret Thatcher’s pre-election bid in 1979.
Labour is running a colourful poster and ad campaign proclaiming the reverse – “Britain is working” under Tony Blair.
Alan Milburn, Labour’s election co-ordinator, launched the campaign in Blaydon, Newcastle, on Monday morning.
The MP for Darlington said: “Lots of people think we are in the pre-election period but there is only one person who knows when the general election will be and he is not saying.
“It is important to emphasise the fact that we live in a country which is moving forwards and not going backwards.”
Comparing the UK’s economic fortunes to other countries in Europe, Mr Milburn said the economy was stronger and more powerful than those of France and Italy.
“This is a country that is moving forward and we should take enormous pride not just in our region but in our country.
“This is a country that is really moving forward.
“It doesn’t mean we have solved every problem.
“We do have a bit of a tendency to say ‘This is not going well’ and I can understand that, but I get a bit fed up when some people always run the country down.
“We live in a great part of the world and we should celebrate that.”
Alistair Darling, Transport Secretary, launched the Scottish campaign in Edinburgh, while Peter Hain, Labour Leader in the Commons, launched the Welsh campaign in Cardiff.
In total, there were 11 regional launches.
The ad is adorned with images of enterprise and sporting motifs such as the new Wembley arch and a gold medal.
It also celebrates Britain’s employment record under Labour.
The ad campaign, which will appear in national newspapers, comes ahead of this week’s pre-Budget report.
“You have to go back 29 years to find a time when unemployment was a low as it is in Britain today,” it states.
“Our mortgage rates are the lowest for 40 years, and we recently overtook France to become the fourth most powerful economy in the world.
“Britain is a place to be proud of, and we’re proud of everyone who works so hard to keep it that way.”
A Labour spokesman said advertising campaigns in the run-up to the election would reflect local issues rather than go for national blanket coverage.
Reflecting the change of emphasis the posters have been altered regionally, becoming “Scotland is Working” and “Wales is Working”.
In conjunction with the campaign, Labour has launched proudofbritain.org.uk.
