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Thursday

The Spectator

Letters | 28 February 2013

Healing the world Sir: We most warmly commend the courage of Professor Meirion Thomas (‘The next NHS scandal’, 23 February) in lifting the lid on the appalling abuse of the NHS by foreign visitors. It has been going on for years but has been covered up by the culture of fear that has pervaded that organisation. We stand ready to support the professor in parliament if that should prove necessary. Regrettably, the present position is even worse than he described. The relevant quango (the Primary Care Commissioning group) issued instructions last July that GPs must accept an application for registration from any foreign visitor who is here for more than

Saturday

Lewis Jones

Bookends: Disarming but disingenuous

At first glance, Be the Worst You Can Be (Booth-Clibborn Editions, £9.99) by Charles Saatchi (pictured above with his wife, Nigella Lawson) seems a rather distinguished book, with its gilt pages bound in what feels like genuine Gnomitex, and this impression persists until one begins to read it. The title page explains the format — ‘Charles Saatchi answers questions from journalists and readers’ — and the first page sets the tone: ‘If you had a bumper- sticker on your car,’ asks a journalist or reader, ‘what would it be?’ And our modern Maecenas replies: ‘Jesus loves you. But I’m his favourite.’ (Boom boom!) So it’s not a distinguished book. It’s

Thursday

Alex Massie

Surviving the Ides of March…

I’m indebted to Patrick Kidd for unearthing this terrific advertisement for Scotsh Whisky, published in the Western Morning News in 1927. These are indeed treacherous times so it is pleasing to be reminded that March winds hold no peril for those who are fortified with Scotch Whisky. As Patrick says, what a shame the liquor industry can no longer offer sage advice like Scotch Whisky can be taken at the strength and in the volume best suited to the individual constitution, the time and the climate. Good to be reassured, too, that whisky is The safest & best drink in any climate. That said, it seems a stretch to suggest

Wednesday

Jonathan Jones

Rombo vs Santorum

Having reclaimed the mantle of ‘Anti-Romney in Chief’, Rick Santorum is now surging in the polls. He’s moved into a narrow lead at the national level and – more importantly – looks likely to win two of the next big states on the primary calendar: Michigan and Ohio. Of course, that makes him the new target of Romney attack ads. Restore Our Future – the pro-Romney Super PAC – has already released a video slamming Santorum as a ‘big spender’ and ‘Washington insider’, which it will air in Michigan, Ohio and Arizona. A Romney advisor explained the strategy to Buzzfeed yesterday: ‘“Santorum’s a blank slate, so everyone’s projecting on to him what

Tuesday

Alex Massie

Halftime in America

Is this Chrysler ad, aired during the Superbowl, political? Sure it is, in the way that almost any call to ur-American greatness ends up being political. But it’s not necessarily an endorsement, even of the dog-whistling variety, of the present administration. You can make a substitution too, after all. Mind you, it is tricky to imagine a British equivalent of this advert that would not be subjected to much mockery and laughter. Cue the old saw about two countries divided by a common language.

Tuesday

Jonathan Jones

Romney to win in Florida, but by how much?

When this week began, Newt Gingrich was the clear favourite to win tonight’s Florida primary. He’d just beaten Mitt Romney by 13 points in South Carolina and two new polls put him 8 to 9 points ahead in Florida. Momentum was on his side, Romney was facing criticism over his tax returns, and he’d have two debates – his favourite campaigning medium – to press his advantage home. But – despite securing an endorsement from Herman Cain on Saturday – Gingrich now finds himself well behind Romney, and with just a 3 per cent chance of victory, according to Nate Silver’s model (above). Why the turnaround? Partly it’s down to

Saturday

James Forsyth

What does it say about our society that abortion will now be advertised on TV?

The news that for-profit abortion providers are soon to be allowed to advertise on television suggests there is something very wrong with our society. Abortion may well at times be the least worst option. But even those of us who accept this should feel deeply uncomfortable with it being actively promoted on television. The fact that these providers want to advertise on television is revealing of a certain lack of moral seriousness about the work they do. This news is also revealing of how far we have come since the Abortion Act 1967. I doubt that the parliamentarians who voted that legislation through envisaged that 45 years later, what are

Friday

Alex Massie

Ron Paul Does Red Dawn

His ad team* PAC seem to be inspired by Patrick Swayze’s finest hour. That’s the 1984 classic, Red Dawn. (What else could qualify for that palm?) Anyway, whatever else it is this ain’t exactly pandering to the GOP base. Again: it’s time for UK parties to emulate the cousins’ approach to these things. Granted, the Jerry Bruckheimer style might not work for British political advertising but surely stuff borrrowed from Brief Encounter or the Ealing Comedies might do the trick? *My mistake. Thanks to readers for pointing it out.

Wednesday

Alex Massie

Newt Gingrich: Serial Hypocrisy

A splendid ad released by Ron Paul’s campaign: Youtube has been great for political ads and while ads alone can’t kill or win a campaign they greatly increase the gaiety of the circus. British politics may not enjoy (or, if you prefer, be afflicted by) TV advertising on the American scale but surely the creatives in the business can start producing quality work like this to be seen online? For entertainment, if nothing else…

Wednesday

Alex Massie

President Perry: Hollywood Action Hero

Peter Suderman says Rick Perry’s “epic new campaign ad appears to have been shot by Michael Bay and edited by Tony Scott in Domino-esque fit of ADHD frenzy” and, sure enough, that’s about right. But it’s kinda absurd and awesome too. I can’t wait to see Rowan Atkinson star in the Ed Miliband version… If the style seems familiar then that’s because it’s made by the same guy that did Pawlenty: The Movie. Perry makes a more convincing hero, however.

Tuesday

Alex Massie

Worthwhile Canadian Attack

I agree with Matt Yglesias: this Canadian Conservative hit on Michael Ignatieff is great*: *I mean great as in thoroughly, entertainingly, usefully reprehensible…

Thursday

Fraser Nelson

Osborne gets his man

So Martin Sorrell is set to move WPP back to Britain. This was always part of Osborne’s Budget plan, as I revealed in my News of the World column and also mentioned on Coffee House. As I said in the newspaper: “The Chancellor has been on bended knee, pursuing Sorrell with energy that would make Berlusconi blush. ‘What do we need to do?’ he asks. Sorrell’s answer is to cut the tax on overseas profits. So Osborne will, hoping to lure back companies who generate most of their cash abroad.” Today, Sorrell will announce that he’ll come back from Ireland if the Budget is made law. Of course it will

Friday

Alex Massie

Worthwhile Canadian Attack Ad

Ah Canada! Such a nice, boringly successful place! So it’s splendid to see they do attacks ads there too. Here the Tories have some fun with Michael Ignatieff: The only problem with this? It risks making the Conservatives seem provincial and oddly jealous of anyone who dares leave Canada and succeed somewhere else. Wrapping yourself in the Maple Leaf is fine and dandy but it can make you seem small too. Even when your target is Michael Ignatieff…

Thursday

Alex Massie

The Glory Days of Advertising

The More Doctors Smoke Camels Than Any Other Cigarette! advertisement is, I think, pretty familiar. Those were the days! Here’s a terrific collection of splendid (and some not so splendid) ads from the Mad Men era (and some from before it). Among my tobacco-favourites: “Born Gentle”? Class. Don Draper would have been proud. Rightly so, too. Should have been accompanied by another ad making a “Born Free” case. Then there’s this Marlboro gem: “You need never feel over-smoked” is a mild form of genius. Clearly this boy would grow up to be the Marlboro Cowboy. And, seasonally, this: It’s true: smoking is fun! Finally, for pipe smokers everywhere: All gone

Friday

Wednesday

Alex Massie

Campaign Ad of the Week: Puppy Slaying Edition

I don’t much care who wins the Illinois gubernatorial election and agree with Nick Gillespie that we need more ads like this: Politifact scores the ad “half-true” which, actually, means I’d be happy to see Brady lose even though he’s dropped his sponsorship of the bill and the issue is, anyway, “moot”.Relatedly: Mitt Romney’s record of dog-abuse might be thought enough to disqualify him from the Presidency.

Tuesday

Alex Massie

I Am Not A Witch

This week’s top campaign ad comes from Christine O’Donnell, GOP Senatorial candidate in Delaware: I don’t think she’s a witch either! But doesn’t this remind you of Nixon’s “I am not a crook”? Perhaps not. Anyway Fred Davis, who made the ad, explains the concept here. UPDATE: See Toby Harnden for more. I agree with Toby that there’s power in the “ordinary folks” approach (and that focusing on the witch sillyness is a means by which O’Donnell can disarm other, slightly more substantive, criticisms by suggesting that they’re just as daft as the witchcraft stuff). However there’s also a limit to folksiness: at some point, as Sarah Palin discovered, you

Tuesday

Gabriel Milland

The cuts start to bite

It must have been the toughest press release that anyone in the Central Office of Infomation has ever had to draft. A freeze on new campaigns and the abandonment of any regarded as “non-essential” mean staff numbers will drop by 40 percent – a loss of 287 jobs. Compulsory redundancies loom. The same press notice also revealed that the COI’s advertising spend was down by a 52% last month compared to June last year. We are not talking about small sums here. Last year’s COI marketing  spend of an eye-watering £531 million – half of it going on advertising – was about 20 percent more than the next biggest spender,

Friday

Alex Massie

Beat This, Adidas

Nike’s World Cup ad is great. Let’s see how Adidas counter with Lionel Messi et al. Note too how even in an ad Ronaldo is an egotistical pillock.

Wednesday

Fraser Nelson

The cost of Brown’s propaganda splurge

Gordon Brown has been shameless in using the tools of state to advance his party political objectives – to him, government is electoral war by other means. Anyone who has turned on a commercial radio station recently will have worked out his latest trick: a mass propaganda splurge before an election campaign. Get on a bus, and it can be 100 percent state adverts – advising how Big Brother will help you get a job, buy a car, see off door-to-door salesmen, give you a job in the prison services – anything you want. We at The Spectator have tracked down the figures that show the extent of all this.