National slogans vs Labour Slogans

By
Martyn Bradbury
-
21
973

@Tiare_MP on Twitter has compiled previous election slogans from Labour and National and it paints a very clear picture of what they think we are stupid enough to vote for.

I like 1984’s ‘New Zealand, you’re winning’ optimism as the stock market collapses.

1987’s ‘Let’s get NZ right’ feels like a stupid pun headline in the Rugby section.

1990’s ‘Creating a decent society’ was clearly a lie.

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1993’s ‘The Spirit of recovery’ feels weirdly new age crystals-curing-cancer level distress

1996’s ‘First Tick National’ feels remedial.

1999’s ‘Keep NZ going forward’ seems child level messaging.

2002’s ‘Get the future you deserve’ seems passive aggressive.

2005’s ‘Family. Community. Work. Security. Freedom’, sounds like a list of things National are promising to exterminate.

2008’s ‘Chose a brighter future’ seems desperate.

2011’s ‘Build a brighter future’ is a rehash of their ‘chose a brighter future’ but apparently with more lightbulbs.

2014’s ‘Working for NZ’ feels like they’ve just realised that’s what they are supposed to be doing.

2017’s ‘Delivering for New Zealanders’ was obviously false advertising because they lost that election.

2020’s “Strong Team. More Jobs. Better Economy” sounded like a list of things Judith Collins couldn’t do while their slogan this year, “Get our country back on track” is a MAGA inspired culture war infused longing by rich people to go back to a time when they didn’t have to give a fuck about poor people.

 

Labour’s early slogans are fucking hilarious!

1943’s “If you don’t want the Nationalists vote Labour” is a great way veto insult your opponents WHILE humble bragging a vote for yourself at the end.

1957’s “For your family’s sake…vote Labour’ has real red flag desperate codependency vibes.

1963’s “Let’s get cracking with Labour!!!!!!!!!!!’ feels like a 1960s ad agency execs first line of cocaine while working on a political campaign. That’s 10  exclamation marks!!!!!!!!!!

1966’s “Drive ahead with a Labour Government’ sounds like a threat.

1984’s ‘Bringing NZ together’ was an outright falsehood.

1987’s ‘Be there with Labour’ is the weirdest slogan of all, after Roger Douglas had destroyed the country, Labour went all zen, the way. shell shocked soldier wanders the battlefield talking to flowers.

1996’s ‘New Heart. New Hope. New Zealand’ feels like something someone who has just come out of therapy says.

2017’s infamous ‘Let’s do this’ which showed Labour didn’t grasp the understand of the words, ‘Let’s’, “Do” or “This”.

2020’s ‘Let’s keep moving” feels like a very low threshold promise.

2023’s ‘In it for you’ at least remind voters that Labour are in it for YOU (and all those corporate consultants who influence every inch of policy and legislation to ensure the under regulated capitalism they manipulate for their own interests is NEVER challenged).

 

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21 COMMENTS

  2. “IT’S TIME. FOR LABOUR.”–1972, is the only one I can genuinely relate to…Big Norm Kirk’s year. NZ would be a different country today if Kirk had lived to achieve a second term as PM, because the innovative Labour Super Scheme that pig Muldoon scrapped would have become embedded and ensured one well off little country in the decades ahead.

    Rare is the day when any party political campaign tagline or slogan makes much sense in retrospect. The ad agency people reckon three to four word ones are the ultimate, but really they all suck in todays political reality.

  3. I’ve suggested to the National Party that an abbreviated message should have been used:
    GET OUT COUNTRY BACK

    No need for the ON TRACK part

    • A bit rich considering they were the ones who sold most of it, still, your suggestion illustrates the way the rightwing mind works.

  5. All these slogans we’re probably made up in a Echo chamber. I doubt to many real people were asked.

    • No doubt. And unlikely that real politicians had anything to do their making, other than the tick of approval. Committees consisting of the party faithful – with an eye for the language of marketing. Or contracted out to consultants.

  6. Interesting analysis. Language matters. Not everyone liked Mad Men, the TV series that captured the American advertising industry just as television was becoming the preferred medium, but it highlighted the importance of having a catchy hook, the final sentence that resounds in consummer’s minds, the punchline. Must be a term in advertising that explains this. Watch TV ads today and it’s still the same as it was back in the day. And now migrated into political slogans. Good money if you can get it!

  8. Can you bring up the images produced by National before MMP? Something like paper bags over people’s heads. I didn’t keep a copy but it would be interesting to see it again as part of our political discussion now.

  9. GET OUR COUNTRY BACK ON TRACK
    But this country’s is not “ours” anymore, is it? And dare I ask where will those tracks lead? More prosperity one presumes. But at what expense? Ffs, are these people not attuned to what’s happening in the real world.

    IN IT FOR YOU
    Recall the advertising for the army back in the day? The only thing that can improve this slogan is lower case letters with YOU in capitals, accompanied by an image, a finger being pointed at the viewer by Captain Chippy himself.

    Any takers on these:
    TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK
    ACT FOR FREEDOM
    THE TIME IS NOW
    BELIEVE IN YOU. BELIEVE IN ME. BELIEVE IN MAORI

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