The General Election 2015. My thoughts # 1

Today I woke expecting a long day listening to the ups and downs of an English election. Some seats lost. Some seats won. Tears. Laughter. Pain.

Instead, I woke up to a Conservative trouncing of Labour.

I had been expecting this since I watched John Harris from the Guardian interviewing voters in Nuneaton. They all talked about Scotland and the England being held to ransom by the Scots Nats. An agenda created and marshalled by the Tory Press and media.

Classic fear marketing. Create a possibility based on a visceral fear - the loss of English identity. It doesn't matter how outrageous or improbable it is. Then sell the hell how of it.

It could have been the fear of bad breath.

Or B.O. Or  wrinkles. Or dandruff. Or bicycle helmets. Or Volvos

It doesn't really matter. It's a tried and trusted technique used in advertising for years. Fear, not sex has always sold. Proctor and Gamble have always known that. So have the Conservatives.

The ZInoviev letter in 1924 was a classic example. Nearly 100 years later and we're still falling for the same tricks.

Shame it's going to mean five more years of the Tories in power. 

But that's advertising for you. It can sell the fear but can't provide the solution

And eventually you have to pay for it.