I don’t think Tom Brake, Sarah Olney or Simone van Beek, the staffer from LDHQ who directed the video, actually meant to amuse Twitter in quite the way that they did with this campaign video for Fairtrade Fortnight.
The message was good, although it may not have had quite the chemistry of the old Gold Blend ads of the 1990s.
For those readers who are too young to remember them, this was a series of twelve ads over six years advertising Gold Blend coffee. The romantic tension between stars Anthony Head and Sharon Maugham built up over time and everyone was on tenterhooks waiting for the final instalment. It made the fuss over Christmas department store ads we see today seem very small.
As a long-time boycotter of Nestle products, I had the pleasure of watching them knowing that I would never give the company a single penny in return for the entertainment.
Anyway, back to Sarah and Tom and the reaction on Twitter. This comparison seemed a little strange:
does anyone know the name of this porn film pic.twitter.com/m4XmEJonPh
— ryan (@ryxnf) March 1, 2017
And, as the Indy 100 reports, the genius Twitter hive mind went into overdrive. Perhaps we don’t mind them having a laugh at our expense at the same time as they highlighted us trumping Labour in the donations stakes, though.
While we’re on the subject of Twitter, the Young Liberals seem to have turned themselves into Heat magazine.
Have you always wanted to look like @timfarron? Now you CAN!! #StyleIcon pic.twitter.com/SpbN9xEEkI
— Young Liberals (@YoungLiberalsUK) March 2, 2017
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings. You can find her on Bluesky at caronmlindsay.bsky.social
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5 Comments
They are adorable. How do they stay so slim stuffing all that fairtrade choccie all day?
Should have gone to RADA.
Not the best acting, nor the slickest production, but there are worse things to be criticised for. If it gets a bit of extra attention for the cause, then it’s a positive.
The concept of Fair Trade is an important one, and one that I’m pleased to see our MPs supporting. Sadly, there are still a lot of people who think Fair Trade is just for tedious hippies, so it is especially important for the concepts of Fair Trade to be introduced into public contracts. It’s such a simple way to improve the lives of the people who are providing us with our little luxuries. If we wouldn’t employ a gardener on slave wages, then we shouldn’t be buying chocolate that relies on workers who can’t afford to send their kids to school.
Absolutely delighted to see attention for Fair Trade. The concept of helping poor producers through fair trade is such a dignified way of doing it. Arguments go on about including an element of financial help to their communities as well as a reasonably fair wage, but for so many poor people the free trade concept is inadequate.
It should grow as an addition to aid in the hope that eventually much more will be done through fair trade than aid.
I am chair of our local Borough Fair Trade Steering Group and we include in our constitution fair trade for local people too. Thus, we helped local farmers in their campaign for greater fairness over milk prices.
Spot on Nigel.
Growing Fair Trade so there is less reliance on general aid should be the aim, and that’s an aim that should be appealing even to those who like to complain about corrupt governments or charities, or bottomless pits etc. Of course, many of those who complain are just using the possibility of corruption as an excuse to be selfish, but anyone pretending to be reasonable cannot disagree with the fundamental concepts of Fair Trade if properly explained to them.
I used to sigh when people would say to me “what about our farmers?” as if stocking Fair Trade tea-bags prevents Asda from paying a fair price for British milk. I always felt that it showed a naivety of the situation abroad, where those working the coffee farms can’t afford basic health-care or to send their children to school. Whatever problems our dairy farmers may face, their children go to school etc. However, I’ve come to realise that discussions around the price of a pint of milk are not just valuable in themselves, but are a good “in” for some people to think about the wider impacts, positive and negative, of their purchasing decisions.