The Party Political Broadcast Review Part II (this time it's principled?)

So last time I reviewed the big three PPB however we all know that this election will not just be fought by the big three Westminster parties, but also the fringe parties. Traditionally the fringe parties were just there for a bit of a laugh, or for people who wanted a protest vote, or for people who were actually mental. But in the last five years that's all changed. There is now a whole host of smaller, regional and possibly more likeable political parties to choose from so let's start of with the everyone favourite drunk uncle at a wedding...UKIP.

Now as I mentioned in the last blog the last thing any party wants to do is place it's leader in the middle of it's campaign ad, politicians are to the PPB what Scrappy Do is to Scooby Do, contributes nothing and just pisses everyone off. Of course that is slightly different when it comes to UKIP, there major asset is their leader, Mr Nigel Farage. A lot has been said about Farage and UKIP, it's almost impossible to turn on the news without fag smoking, beer swilling, Un-PCing, Nigel describing himself as a fox in the Westminster hen house, or a bull in the china shop of Brussels or a dead badger in the road of progress. Nigel Farage definitely has the X factor, so it only make sense that he be the star of their film. We see Farage in full 1970's sitcom character style, actually opening the ad by nicking a joke from Monty Python "And now for something completely different" personally if you asked me for a Python sketch for Farage to quote I would of suggested the upper class twit of the year. Anyway the ad cuts between Farage looking out onto the White Cliffs of Dover like he's a one man boarder control and Farage in a studio, looking like he's on Mastermind, specialist subject? Crisps flavours? Actually it appears to be the people's army, who Farage says is the driving force of the party, which is funny because despite all his talk of the people's army you don't really see much of them. It's almost like he's worried that if he puts them in front of camera they are going to say something embarrassing about gays, or blacks. We do briefly get to see part of the people's army when Farage addresses them at a conference in scenes that resemble Farage being a Preacher at a Deep South Bible Belt Church Service where everyone speaks in tongues. Anyway I suppose he deserves some credit for avoiding the phrase "I'm not racist but..."

Now from the white cliffs of Dover to north of Hadrian's wall. Now I know being English means I am the least qualified person in the world to talk about Scotland, but since when has blogs been written by people who know what they are talking about so... it's the SNP, or is it? The film starts with a car driving around a mountain range, like it's an advert for the latest Toyota car.Then a Voice Over starts "This is our country" oh wait it's not a Toyota advert it's an advert for Visit Scotland, oh I like these, the music the beautiful landscape...Oh wait how come were looking at a tower block? Oh there's Guitars and the car moves into the city centre, the video seems to really make it clear that it's being filmed in Scotland, actually there's no real information about policies or even ideology just "SCOTLAND! DO YOU LIKE SCOTLAND? I LIKE SCOTLAND, I'M FROM SCOTLAND, ARE YOU FROM SCOTLAND AS WELL? DON'T YOU HATE THE TORIES, I HATE THE TORIES TOO"Which is fine because the advert ends with the camera panning out to show the man who's been talking to us saying "The question is who's going to stand up for Scotland?" The only question I'm left asking is "Are you like a famous person or something? Cause I don't recognise you?" Probably because I don't live in Scotland.

Now on a whistle stop tour of the UK we head over to the valleys, do you remember Little Britain, do you remember the "I'm the only gay in village" sketch? Yeah, Matt I do, why are you mentioning that, it's bit of an old reference? Not for Plaid Cymru, they open there PPB with a nice little nod to that sketch that is now over ten years old. A young man coming out to his parents as a Plaid voter, next we cutto  an office worker he looks nervous, his boss enters, she talks about cut backs, the future, is he getting fired, there are tissues? NO surprise she's also voting Plaid, and look she has the daffodils to prove it.
Next we have someone who's decided that she's showing her support by getting a tattoo and is showing it to her Nan, like you do! I'm sorry but the only people who get political tattoos are Neo Nazi. Later on we see said Nan getting her own tattoo and we appear to be full fantasy land, perhaps the subtext of the PPB is Plaid having a say in Westminster is as likely as your Nan getting a Tattoo, it could happen, but it would a strange and terrifying day. Plaid Cymru ad just comes across as being a bit naff, which is a shame because the SNP really seem to have a lot of energy, something the Plaid advert is missing.

Now it's time for sandle wearing, cycling loving and vegan friendly Green Party. Actually that kind of an out dated stereotype, and if you spend a lot of time on twitter (which this blogger does) you'd see that there a small but growing Green Surge and with the Greens picking up one seat in the House of Commons five years ago they clearly want to build on it. The Greens it has to be said have got a good PPB it's presents the Tories, Lib Dems, Labour and UKIP as all being in harmony, a singing a song about voting for them is all the same, like they are in a Boy band, it's a strong message and it's well executed, of course given the popularity of One Direction this could massively back fire, "Hey that coalition songs pretty catchy." Also I think Ed Miliband might come out of this advert looking pretty good seeing  as the actor they've hired to play him looks like he's Don Draper, he's dripping with cool, and Cameron playing the piano, that's a million times cooler than anything he has ever done. Actually I like to see them develop the Boy Band motif for the rest of the campaign.
"Oh who's your favourite?"
"Oh I love Nick C, he's so dreaming, the way he says sorry drives me wild"

There could be T shirts and pillow cases, hey what about some action figures.
Of course I'm waiting for the ill advised and clumsy retaliation where one of the parties portrays Sturgeon , Bennett & Wood as a girl band. But what to call them Non Atomic Kitten? Girls Aloud the same salaries as men?

So if this election was fought solely on the bases of who had the best Party Political Broadcast, it's hard to say who'd win, I'd know who would lose. My advice for future PPB film makers, drop the Politician, spend a bit of time deciding what your message is, come up with a clever, interesting and entertaining way to deliver that message and for the love of God don't make something that reminds me off a 90's road safety video (see previous blog).