The deficit-loving Gordon Brown is receiving his comeuppance in the latest Tory advertising. This is, after all, the man behind the golden rule. In America, I think the Republicans will probably try a similar tack in the midterm elections; more so in 2012 by which time the US racks up some unbelievable amount of debt. Still, something the Tories share with their Republican counterparts is an unwillingness to raise taxes as part of the solution. Repeat after me: revenues less spending equals deficit (or, somewhat improbably, surplus).Political marketing aficionados will note that these (punctuation challenged) ads are the first out since the Tories returned to Maurice and Charles Saatchi--the advertising whizzes behind many of Conservatives' pitches during the Thatcher era and even the pre-Blair era [1, 2]
Note that the brothers Saatchi have formed another firm, the self-explanatory M&C Saatchi, after they were ousted from the advertising giant they founded, Saatchi & Saatchi. Interestingly, Saatchi & Saatchi--the firm, not the brothers--is rival Labour's advertising agency. Cameron's previous ones with the tagline of "We Can't Go On Like This" have been mercilessly parodied (see below), so we'll see if these ones get a better reception. The new ones certainly look grittier, but if that's the sort of thing that works, well, you can't argue with results.
