h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

...wick being colloquial for "not very good"

OK, so there was a picture of the Conservative's campaign poster in the Sunday papers.

It shows Gordon Brown sitting on a leather sofa ( a la Linda Barker) with the caption "buy now pay later".

Here are my observations.

1. The instant visual is "object of desire" ( those sofa ads)
2. "buy now, pay later" is commonly used as a positive persuader
3. When you do eventually work out what the message is, it's a "don't vote for them!" one, rather than "this is what we can do for you"


And finally - and what made me shake my head in disbelief - is the notion that greed is how voters decide!!!! Is this true?

"Who'll I vote for - oh, let's see, whoever'll give me the most money in my pocket"





Interested in your comments

Morning,
Personally I am sick of being taxed to death on my already small salary.So yes, I would vote for whoever taxes me the least.
However, there are other issues, such as giving £20,000 in back benefits to asylum seekers, which a certain party did lately.

For whoever taxes you the least, no matter what you get for your money?

On your other issue, if they were owed the money, why shouldn't they get it? Or are asylum seekers somehow not entitled to the benefit of due legal process?

On Lucky Star's point - that does sound like a very confused advert - blame the Saatchis, I guess...

sprout

>>such as giving £20,000 in back benefits to asylum seekers, which a certain party did lately<<

Not asylum seekers, but a refugee. Not a certain party, but a benefits office in Gravesend.

>> And finally - and what made me shake my head in disbelief - is the notion that greed is how voters decide!!!! Is this true? <<

This very true. Very few people will vote along altruistic lines. In a relative wealthy society like ours, people will always vote for whoever they perceive will be best for them. Why else would all politicians spend so much time trying to convince the electorate that they wont pay any more taxes. Nobody ever won an election by promising to put up taxes.

Donald

Well, I decided long ago that I would never vote for a party who does ads like that. It shows that they think we will vote according to suspect emotional campaigns, not that they think we will vote on the basis of facts and figures. In other words, they think we are thick, not a party line I go for.

Well, I for one, poor underpaid minion who has to do her own tax returns as I may be, would be quite happy to pay more taxes, especially if I could 'see' the extra cash going to hospitals, schools, looking after the disabled and chronically ill, public transport and local libraries. The only two I'd directly benefit from, being a healthy childless adult, are public transport and libraries. But surely I'd indirectly benefit a lot from the the others - kids able to get attention in school and therefore not becoming semi-criminal layabouts terrorising passersby, and will get jobs and be able to do useful things which benefit us all, and hospitals - well, who knows when I will get pregnant or (God forbid) hit by a bus and need help, and the sorry state of the local elderly people who are so alone and left in squalor when they can't cope just makes my blood boil. Well, if the extra money came to me I'd be able to go out to dinner or the the theatre a few more times. If it goes to hospitals and schools etc, then we ALL benefit.

So come on Labour, be REAL socialists and tax me til my pips squak - I'll cheer you all the way.

Kea, we're not just thick, we're self-righteous and hypocritical too.

Agapanthus, if you feel you're not paying enough tax simply send the cash you don't need to the Inland Revenue.

Mycroft

so you agree with the party line which appears to say that the public is thick. Well good for you. Oh and you think we are worse then that, self-righteous and hypocritical, is that all of Britain or just me for saying what I did.

Kaz not Kea

Kaz, I mean we the electorate.

I've been in a bad mood for 2 days, sorry got the wrong end of the stick.

Self-righteous, I can see that they may think we are like that over the whole bbc/hutton inquiry thing, is that what you were thinking?

I think it was Stuart Hall, though I've probably got the wrong guy, who did some sociological work on voting, Hmm, actually, I don't think it was him at all... Well, whoever the guy was, and yes, I think it was a guy, most seem to be for some reason.... One of his coments I liked and which seems to accuratly sum up how people vote, was that whatever the issues, whatever the debates have been, when people walk into the poling booth on voting day, they feel their back pocket before they vote... I.E., how well am I off now, under goverment X, and then they decide on who to vote for... Can I take out a 'buy now pay later' please on that sofa BTW?

Kaz, don't worry

I wasn't thinking of the Hutton enquiry, but the political process in general.

We're thick because we need complex issues to be reduced to the simplicity of a five second weather forecast before we can be bothered to try to understand them.

We're hypocritical because we profess a social conscience and then start jumping up and down when we have to pay for it.

We're self-righteous because no politician who states the above can ever get elected.

Isn't Stuart Hall the ex-presenter of 'It's a Knockout' and now 5live sports reporter?

I think a lot of people misunderstand the question being asked at elections. It's not

"which party is best for you personally"

but

"which party do you think has the programme and values which are best for the country".

Okay, so this is idealistic, but what really irritates me is the way that the media talk as it it's the first question that is being asked, and let people get away with voting selfishly...

Otto

Hummmmmmmmmm I can see that, if thats what they think we are, what would that make them if they were to judge by their own standards?

Kaz, why do you persist in saying this is merely what politicians think? It's not, it's the way we are. How many general elections can you remember that weren't won or lost on the basis of a handful of simplistic slogans and image management?

I don't judge the whole human race, I can only work on myself, but I do by best not to be hypocritical, self-righteous etc. The basis of my faith and my way of life, is to be honest about myself and to be the best that I can be.

You may judge the electorate, I do not wish to. I also not think that all people are the way you describe, and I include myself in that.

Kaz, you don't want to judge the whole human race or the electorate, but you're happy to do so to a political party?

There is a truism in parliamentary elections...never underestimate the stupidity of the British electorate.

Seriously, I know people who voted for the current government on the basis that its leader had "nice hair". Ooh. Let's concentrate on the issues!

RF