Here is last night’s Welsh Liberal Democrats’ election broadcast:
The world of puppet politicians
We've all heard the hot air of puppet politicians… but who will get the basics right and create a Wales that works for you?
Posted by Welsh Liberal Democrats on Thursday, 7 April 2016
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15 Comments
Best party PPB I’ve seen in years!
Oh dear.
Is ‘Spitting Image” about to make a comeback?
Sometimes you just get it wrong and this is one of those times.
Fair play, I actually bothered to watch this one right the way through.
As soon as the puppet says “Trust me I’m a politician,” it reminds people that the biggest example of a breach of trust occurred just over five years ago. I’m afraid it shows how much some of us are still in denial. A shame really, for apart from that it is rather good.
The last time I remember a puppet representing a politician was when David Steel was depicted in David Owen’s pocket on ‘Spitting Image’.
You clearly didn’t watch Spitting Image long enough. John Major completely in grey must be after that.
Of course I did – and Mrs T dressed as a man using a gent’s urinal as well. And then there’s the ‘vegetables’, not forgetting Major’s love of peas. The image of a little David Steel in Owen’s breast pocket did more harm to the Liberal Party than many of you realise, summing up as I did a general perception of who wore the trousers in the ill fated Alliance. (Not true, as subsequent events proved.) The official battle buses of the Liberals and the SDP symbolically departing in opposite directions from Cowley Street at the launch of the 1987 General Election campaign didn’t help either!
I remember the pre-election Spitting Image with the 2 Davids. David Steel – “I feel the surge David, the surge…………aaaahhhh, I surged too early………”!!!!!
Nick,
What a shame they don’t make programmes like that any more.
Too many comments from a politician’s perspective imo.
I thought the idea was good and fresh but there were issues of execution in terms or engaging non-political audience. It was not obvious which parties the puppets were representing. Colour of rosettes and a bit of ‘in’ dialog doesn’t do it for enough people in defining who these puppets are meant to be. The issue of ‘trust’, as David Evans points out above, is a bit warm in the pan from Lib Dems.
The real thing that got me was the music. Whatever your view of the choice, it was far too loud to be in the background for Kirsty Williams. Kirtsy’s voice is soft and was even precisely ‘on note’ for some of the music ie it got lost. That degree of volume needed Richard Burton to cover for the audience to be able to maintain attention.
The issue of ‘trust’, as David Evans points out above, is a bit warm in the pan from Lib Dems.
Though the public might not know (and it seems Lib Dem supporters don’t either) I’m 99% sure the Welsh Lib Dems don’t have the same problem the UK Lib Dems do with the major themes of the untrustworthy Lib Dems argument.
The big problem with this might be that more will see the Green’s version which is also slightly funnier (thus more memorable) and won’t hold the political messages at the end.
It’s fair enough to knock your opponents, but when your support is so low and you get so little chance to get your message across, it is a shame to waste it on an ‘all the other parties are awful’ message – it could by a PPB from any party. Attacking politicians as untrustworthy and full of hot air isn’t helpful to anyone.
There appears to be no strategy or message behind this. Kirsty has some positive things to say – although some concrete examples of actions would have been nice – but it is rather lost in the whole. Three key reasons to vote for the Welsh Lib Dems next time please.
I rather liked the Green Party’s PPB, with the other politicians played by children.
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/elections/2016/04/watch-green-partys-hilarious-new-party-political-broadcast