So is this saying that ordinary people are like children who rely on rich people for money?

Or is it saying that public sector provide the wealth creation and the bankers haven’t contributed anything to the economy.

Or is saying that our children can avoid a lifetime of debt by opposing the cuts.

Its saying blaming poor and vulnerable people for the economic mess, whilst forcing them to bear the brunt of the consequences, whilst those responsible for the mess continue to drink wine is blatantly unfair.

“I’ve been good, but you’ve wasted all our money…”

I’m not sure who the “you” is supposed to refer to here. Is it the government? But then, we were running a massive debt and budged deficit before the current government came in, so that can’t be it. Or is it the bankers? But then, most of the deficit is structural (that’s why we were running one before the bank bail-outs, and are still running one now, long after the bailouts have finished), so we’d still be needing to cut back even without the financial crisis.

@ 1:

“So is this saying that ordinary people are like children who rely on rich people for money?”

Yes, that seemed to be the message to me, too, although I’d probably substitute “the government” for “rich people”.

Well it was going pretty well, until the NONSENSICAL final words.

“don’t burden your kids with a lifetime of debt, oppose the cuts” ?

Way to confuse an audience. If you don’t see why, here’s the Tory response in a nutshell: “Precisely! We are making these cuts so as to reduce the debt, thus unburdening our childrens’ futures! Hurrah!”

Dumb.

Reminds me of that appalling 10:10 video: too much think tank self-congratulation, not enough consideration of how it will actually resonate and play with ordinary people.

I mean, sorry, but this just doesn’t make sense. @1 above basically has it right, plus my later point.

If this is the best the anti-cuts movement can think up, then it’s fucked.

““don’t burden your kids with a lifetime of debt, oppose the cuts” ?

Way to confuse an audience. If you don’t see why, here’s the Tory response in a nutshell: “Precisely! We are making these cuts so as to reduce the debt, thus unburdening our childrens’ futures! Hurrah!””

Quite….but then that’s what happens when you let the media studies kids do economics….

The production values are sadly far better than the actual content, or dialogue, or message, or vision of the piece.

Written by iPhone-wielding wonks, obviously.

@5 has it: “if this is the best the anti-cuts movement can think up, then it’s fucked.”

I agree with @5. It’s a terrible video.

Just for the record, for those who don’t know, I’m not a bug-eyed rightwinger in the style of Mr Worstall. I would sincerely like this video to be good. But it’s bloody terrible.

Out of curiosity…

“The TUC held a 60-second ad contest…”

Why was the winning video 90 seconds? (Or am I being fabulously stupid?)

“I’m not a bug-eyed rightwinger in the style of Mr Worstall.”

Bug-eyed classical liberal please.

The argument is over the methods by which we make the world better for the poor, not whether.

As a summary of all that is wrong with the Labour / TUC campaign, it hits the nail on the head.

A few immediate thoughts

– It portrays the general populace as passive and ignorant
– It portrays the state as all-powerful
– It pretends we don’t have a debt problem
– It pretends the debt problem was caused by “rich people” (“the other”) rather than housing speculation encouraged by lax regulation

I could go on, but this kinda crud is why liberals don’t buy into the dominant conspiracy portrayed by Labour / TUC.

“““don’t burden your kids with a lifetime of debt, oppose the cuts” ?

Way to confuse an audience. If you don’t see why, here’s the Tory response in a nutshell: “Precisely! We are making these cuts so as to reduce the debt, thus unburdening our childrens’ futures! Hurrah!””

Surely you know that the Guardian etc has been arguing a kind of turbo Keynesian argument that says the state must spend, spend, spend (on anything) forever and increasing amounts, and anyone who says otherwise is evil Tory scum who want to send children up chimneys?

(Oh, and let’s ignore Portugal about to have to get bailed out by the IMF, because that’s like a foreign country or summink and foreigners with debt is entirely unlike here.)

“Awesome” video indeed, reminds me of how important it is that we reduce the debt now and don’t burden our children to pay for our mistakes.

Did the Conservative party make this?

Tea Party moment!

I think you’re all being very unfair. I think this video brilliantly gets across the message that taxes are far too high and that the state is like an abusive, exploitative parent, dipping its hand into working people’s pockets as it pleases.

What do you mean, that wasn’t the intended message?

The only way that could be improved is if Dave played the father and a be-wigged Cleggie played the subservient mother, serving champagne. Gideon could be the sinister uncle, sitting quietly in a leather Chesterfield.

~~~

16. Alix:

> I think you’re all being very unfair.

There’s a certain type of person who can tightly squint their eyes and just about discern a different picture to what the rest of us see very clearly.