With the Brits' election today, of course our papers are full of British news. Today there was a great article in the Chicago Tribune about what has happened to campaign slogans here in the U.S. Apparently they are still being used in the U.K., though there have been criticisms about them. Steve Chapman, the columnist writing about them says, "There is an urgent shortage of verbs!" Here are 2 from the Labour Party:

1) "Your family better off"

2) "Britain forward not back"

Questions about the first were: Your family WILL be better off? IS better off? ISN'T better off? WILL NEVER BE better off?

From the Conservative Party:

"Are you thinking what we're thinking?" which soon was parodied to "Are you drinking what we're drinking?"

Then there was: "If you value it, vote for it." Value what? Chapman describes this one as "vacuous banality:" "Taking a stand on the issues that matter."

While the British voters lament the low state to which the slogans have sunk, we Americans are envious that the Brits still have them, according to Chapman. What happened to ours?

Some think that sound bites are easier to tailor to the needs of the moment. How sad if that is true!

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Originally posted by Kalleh:
2) "Britain forward not back"

There were appropriately red faces all round in the Labour party when someone pointed out to them that "Forward Not Back" had been used as a parody of vacuous electioneering slogans in an old episode of The Simpsons.

One of the Tory "Are you thinking what we're thinking?" posters really got to me. It's the one that says we'd have cleaner hospitals if Matron was back in charge. Wasn't it they who started to get rid of Matrons in the first place?!

There weren't that many Matrons (any at all?) around in 1997 when Labour took power, and hospitals were already dirty. My nan died in 1997 and one ward she was in - fortunately not for long - felt so grimy (and stank of stale urine) I felt like I needed a shower after leaving it.

It really annoys me when politicians think we're so stupid we'll forget that the policies they're now decrying are the ones they originally set up.

This isn't a slogan, per se . . .but we saw a bumper sticker tonight that had us both (hubby and I, who generally disagree about politics) laughing in a sad, scary way.

"Frodo Failed
Bush has The Ring"

Some of the well-known American slogans that the article talked about were:

Hoover's 1928 campaign promising "a chicken in every pot," which of course was a very poor prophecy.

Then there was Lyndon Johnson's "All the way with LBJ," which could have been a forecast for his policy in Vietnam.

Barry Goldwater in 1964 had "In your heart you know he's right," which spawned "In your guts you know he's nuts!"

Apparently Wayne Fields has written a book on presidential slogans, entitled "Union of Words: A History of Presidential Eloquence." Has anyone read it? He hypothesizes that because of the saturation coverage we see in politics today (in the U.S.), candidates must produce new themes each week to keep from boring the voters. That may be why slogans are out and sound bites are in, in the U.S.

in australia, we went 'all the way with lbj' until the oposition party said 'it's time'. the long-standing slogan of the marginally represented democratic party is 'keeping the bastards honest'.

one of my favorites is 'if you don't think that global warming effects you, then what planet are you on?'

beans

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Wasn't it they who started to get rid of Matrons in the first place?!

I'm not sure. I'd have thought it would have been more in common with Labour doctrine - power to the people, down with the aristocracy and all that. I agree though, it was a daft idea whoever thought of it - you can't run any organisation without proper leadership.

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Originally posted by Richard English:

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Wasn't it they who started to get rid of Matrons in the first place?!

I'm not sure. I'd have thought it would have been more in common with Labour doctrine - power to the people, down with the aristocracy and all that. I agree though, it was a daft idea whoever thought of it - you can't run any organisation without proper leadership.

Except of course it was them: competitive tendering; sell graveyards for 5p to your mates; the market at all costs, etc.

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competitive tendering; sell graveyards for 5p to your mates

Fill me in: what are you referring to?

Once upon a time, hospital cleaning was carried out by hospital staff, who took pride in their job and did it well. Then somebody realised that no rich people where getting richer with this system. Therefore the job of cleaning hospitals was put out to competitive tender whereby the company offering to do the job for the least money took on the task of cleaning hospitals. Any money saved was spent on accountants and computer systems that don't work.

5p graveyards - just put Dame Shirley Porter into Google.

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Any money saved was spent on accountants and computer systems that don't work.

And bonuses for the bosses, too. It would never do if they were paid as little as those who did the work now, would it?