And another thing…

Re your brand: the Twitter name DrWhoMP is going cheap.

There is perhaps an irony in them calling themselves the ‘democratic’ left whilst perpetuating ideas that infantilise people, that few would ever vote for.

Here in Streatham we will likely be lumbered with one of them as an MP – part of the reason I won’t vote Labour after 15 years of doing so since I turned 18.

>> I reject absolutely that there is anything remotely right-wing about wanting to leave lifestyle decisions to grown-ups. To claim that a desire to respect indivdual choice is incompatible with being Left wing is… well, bloody stupid, actually. And those of us on the Left who still have the sense to speak out about such nonsense do so not because we seek the approval of Tory commenters, but because we want Labour to be successful as a political party and as a government.

Sadly, I think that’s the point, Tom. Rightly or wrongly, your Party has become associated with this micro-management of daily life. It’s already been re-elected despite Iraq – suggesting voters generally don’t care about what those who seek to micro-manage debate say they should – but the upcoming drubbing is going to be down to stuff like this; especially on a day when it’s reported that a man has received a fixed penalty for blowing his nose at the wheel of a stationary car.

Just like Brown’s new-found sympathy for electoral reform which’ll benefit him, the time [for the Party] to have honestly and convincingly was a few years ago.

Being of the left != Stalinist.

Excuse me whilst I now go back to watching Question Time on my lovely Samsung HD ready monitor, sitting on my Ikea furniture, whilst permanently attahced to my Apple iPod and BlackBerry Pearl.

When I was young, a wee bit after Tom, but not that much, we were only allowed to watch the BBC, because it wasn’t commercial. That was perhaps a bit excessive.

But I think there is something wrong about trying to use telly programmes rather than the ad breaks to sell stuff. Especially when subliminal messages are getting through to young minds which have not developed enough to reject it.

Perhaps there should be a watershed for subliminal advertising, which is what product placement is.

I think you also have to consider Tom that the manufacturers who can afford product placement will not be at the cheap end of the market.

We won’t be seeing Lidl place their products. Or Matalan. But for a lot of low paid people shopping out of low end markets is a necessity. Do we want to place more pressure on them to get the mid to high end products if their kids are exposed to subliminal advertising?

By all means allow manufacturers to place products in adult shows, we can deal with it, but I think there has to be some common sense applied in restricting this tactic for programmes that kids watch.

Yeah but, I was ready to call time on CBeebies on viewing Tracy Beaker, casually placing her Ovaltine down on the nightstand next to a packet of Durex.

Or was it Tracy Emin? Things get so mussed up at my age. The point is, Ovaltine is full of sugar.

At the end of the day (that phrase has had a holiday recently, but I thought I would resurrect it) there is an “off” switch on the TV. There is also an option not to have a TV in the house.

I know several people who did not watch TV until University. I say University, what I mean is Oxford, for two of them went there; one stayed there and became an authority in Anglo Saxon, the other the editor of a national newspaper.

Such notions of micro management – the point of this post – are symptomatic of a post literate age, in which it is given that people have lost their critical faculties. Since the majority have voted Labour, this must be true.

I do not agree with product placement. We have enough adverts as it is . . Even the BBC advertises itself all the time.

Under labour the quality of TV has gone down and down with allowing the BBC to expand so much at the expense of the others.

Diet Coke? Yup. Gotcha.

Dyson? Okay.

The sweet that helps you work, rest and play? Subtle, but I got there in the end.

Tassimo?

Nope. You just lost me.

No doubt product placement will have me queuing at my local supermarket.

Is it a Scottish/ Glasgow thing? Just interested.

Perhaps you should speak to your Home Office when it comes to leaving “lifestyle decisions to grown-ups”, you are distinctly off-message with the government on this one.

Tom, that’s you for not taxing the rich just because there’s inequality and now your for individual freedom for consenting adults. I fear the Dark Lord may be knocking on your door in the coming days…

But please don’t switch sides, Labour need some voices of reason to stop the party dragging the country into an authoritarian socialist nightmare. Besides, the Tories are not much better – I seem to remember the security forces being cosy with the Conservative government and civil liberties to Irish people being a bit of a joke; plus, as FDR said, “We know now that government by organized money is just as dangerous as government by organized mob.” Something to remember for either party cosying up to big business.

Labour should trust us? Blimey, careful, Tom, the government and public sector might grind to a halt if more Labour MPs had subversive thoughts like yours.

Dreaming up micro management, surveillance and intrusive schemes to destroy our privacy, plus enforcement of thousands of new statutory compulsions and bans is one huge, Mickey Mouse and totally bogus, industry in UK and the EU. You’ll put countless, pointless quangos and social enterprises out of business and a lot of jobsworth, public and private sector enforcement staff out of work with such loose talk.

Government distrust is a very lucrative business. How would you replace the lost billions in state revenue that would inevitably result from Big Brother Labour government trusting us? If government, and public sector bodies such as the police and local councils, could no longer derive billions from financially persecuting those of us who drive, park, drink, smoke, blow our noses, wear anti-PM T-shirts, have the gall to visit sick rellies in hospital and who are having ID Cards forced down our throats etc, where’s this money to come from?

How would the public sector fund their massive pension bills without pointless permits, fees and fines for breaching Mickey Mouse laws and regulations? Holy Moses, Tom, government and councils would be forced to increase national and local taxes, then the public would see all too clearly how much the elitist public sector pensions apartheid really costs us.

Reinstatement of trust in the public would also highlight that there is only one sector which really funds the lions share of the public sector’s elitist pay and pensions: private sector companies and staff. Over 4 million of those companies, little SMEs, amount to 99.9% of UK’s companies, employing some 60% of UK’s workforce.

Most SMEs are struggling to survive against being over-regulated and persecuted out of existence thanks to the obsession of national and local government, and the government’s profiteering quangos, with wringing hefty fees out of us and wasting our vital productive time on complying with an ever changing deluge of mostly pointless red tape.

I agree with Johnny Norfolk on:

“I do not agree with product placement. We have enough adverts as it is . . Even the BBC advertises itself all the time.”

I fear the golden age of TV may have been the golden age of Quietzapple however. These days I have moved on and spend more time with music, so I am not the best judge.

Rather than pay the advertisers not to advertise at us – as neo-liberal economists might suggest – might we not just pay for the programmes?

Oh, that is the original concept of the BBC. I’d like one of those, please.

Product placement doesn’t actually amount to all that much in terms of overall revenue for a broadcaster, but it might help them invest in decent programming rather than just buying up every US drama known to mankind, so I’m all for product placement.

I’m at a loss

Doesn’t your idea of product placement mean that all the products placed will be vetted to ensure that they are compliant with current comintern thinking?

Micro managing to airbrush history? To control the sheeple?

1984 springs to mind

In a world where people will pay for products to be placed, I have to ask why, where, and will I notice? Or are we saying current tv scenes are devoid of detail and currently sterilised of products?

Can I play product placement bingo, and laugh at the “cr*p” that some people are willing to “sponsor”?

Maybe we can get all the regulars at the “Vic” to file individually into an election station and watch as they place their “x” against a preferred candidate. Watch their angst as they endeavour to vote anything but Tory…or perish the thought, actually provide balance and information.

Sorry It took me so long to comment, but I find the classic taste of Drum tobacco a welcome distraction in today’s chaotic world. Bright Virginia balanced with dark rich Kentucky- a perfect contrast.

If you keep talking sense Tom, they’ll throw you out, you know that don’t you?

Happened to Galloway.

hmph. After the title I was totally expecting some sort of diatribe from a Trades Union political rep.

Product placement in childrens tv is already banned and rightly so.

I suppose the argument could be what are childrens programmes and what are adult programmes.

for example I think it would be safe enough on newsnight but perhaps not on dr who?

I disagree with you, Tom (does this mean I’m in agreement with Compass? Flippin’ eck, Tucker!)

If you really do drink Diet Coke, you should be aware of the dangers.

Tom,

There is unfortunately a gap between what you say and those that wear the same badge as you. So perhaps those assumptions about the left are wrong, or perhaps you are no longer of the left. Either way you have a long long struggle to convince anybody that a tick on the left will enable greater individualism and choice. It is hard to fight experience.

“Would it be so hard for our “think tanks” on the Left to come up with policy ideas that stopped banning stuff? Why are they so keen to feed the (entirely justified) accusation from the Right that too many on the Left want to restrict individual choice, and don’t trust adults to make their own choices?”

You know what? Sometimes you’re a bit of a gem, Tom.

I’m not from the right, left or centre. I’d just like to see people being treated with more respect. And I’m afraid Labour are the poorest of a bad bunch.

To use a righteous lead in – ‘What we need to do’ is stop all this bleeding nonsense and start treating grown-ups as grown-ups, and kids as sentient beings with their own (sometimes irritatingly contrary) characters.

Apologies, for ’start treating’, read ‘resume treating’ as was the case prior to 1997.

Banning things is in their DNA Tom. They cant stop themselves telling us how to live our lives. It is what Labour are all about since the champagne socialists took over.
However, the Tories are lead by the same ethos. The first thing Boris Johnson did on becoming mayor, was to ban alchohol on the tube.

B Johnson banned consumption of alcohol on busses and the tube, and presumably public river transport.

One very hot day I recall discussing the matter on the top deck of a bus from Ilford (Essex) towards Woodford Green shortly after he capitulated to the police demand.

Ironically Red Ken, the wicked post stalinist, had refused this police demand for years.

So much for Bojo, libertarian.

TV huh? Seems to me, if the TV was switched off – for good; then maybe, just maybe – the country might wake up.

Very witty article as I roll my smooth Golden Virginia cigarette. It does seem nannying and bullying seems to of lept the species barrier and adopted by the yellows and blues.

Thanks for making a stand.

Warning! Children!

Do NOT buy or consume Tassimo Coffee, nor push Dyson vacuum cleaners about (unless you need to develop arm strength)

Illy and Lavazza are real coffee and worth the trouble.

Braun cleaners, with reusable bags beat Dyson all around your mother’s house.

Diet Coke is the work of the Devil, Berry Juice, with or without Port, way to go!

So little advertising actually tells anyone anything at all about the products. Most of it is like legalised tripping consumers up on their way into the supermarket.

How is that adult? Or putting up with it mature?

Well past time we differentiated between freedom and the desires of the libertine.