UNITED KINGDOM: RETAILERS TRY TO SPICE UP BRITAIN'S GENERAL ELECTION WITH OBSCURE AND BIZARRE ELECTION GOODS

Record ID: 338382

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: RETAILERS TRY TO SPICE UP BRITAIN'S GENERAL ELECTION WITH OBSCURE AND BIZARRE ELECTION GOODS
  • Date: 23rd May 2001
  • Summary: (W4) LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MAY 23, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. CU: EXTERIOR OF POLITICO'S BOOK SHOP 0.07 2. SV: POLITICO'S WINDOW DISPLAY 0.13 3. CLOSE UP OF KNICKERS IN SHOP WINDOW SAYING 'PUT YOUR VOTE IN MY BOX' 0.20 4. CLOSE UP OF KNICKERS SAYING 'I LOVE TONY BLAIR' 0.26 5. SV: INTERIOR OF POLITICO'S 0.32 6. CLOSE UP OF GOLF BALLS WITH PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR AND CONSERVATIVE LEADER WILLIAM HAGUE ON THEM 0.36 7. SV: KNICKERS HANGING UP INSIDE SHOP 0.41 8. CLOSE UP OF KNICKERS PANNING FROM PAIR SAYING 'POLITICS IS PANTS' TO PAIR SAYING 'I LOVE GENERAL ERECTIONS' 0.51 9. VARIOUS OF TONY BLAIR PET TOYS (2 SHOTS) 1.01 10. PAN TO MAN IN TONY BLAIR MASK HOLDING UP A VOTE LABOUR SIGN 1.09 11. CLOSE UP OF MUGS WITH TONY BLAIR WINNER ELECTION 2001 ON THEM 1.14 12. SV: MAN DRESSED IN FORMER PRIME MINISTER MARGARET THATCHER MASK, WITH 'KEEP THE POUND' APRON AND TONY BLAIR WINNER MUG 1.24 13. SCU: SOUNDBITE (English) PETER JUST, MANAGER, POLITICO'S BOOKSTORE SAYING: "Anything to do with William Hague is outselling Blair by about ten to one. We sold out of the William Hague the winner mug and we're selling William Hague baseball caps with just Hague across the forehead and we're selling Blair ones as well, but the Hague are outselling the Blair. The same with our knickers, our I love William Hague knickers are outselling Blair by about ten to one." 1.45 14. SCU VIEW OF VARIOUS WILLIAM HAGUE GOODS ON SALE INCLUDING WILLIAM HAGUE BASEBALL CAP 1.50 WATFORD, UNITED KINGDOM (MAY 23, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 15. SLV: EXTERIOR OF ASDA SUPERMARKET 1.56 16. VARIOUS OF TONY BLAIR, WILLIAM HAGUE AND CHARLES KENNEDY GARDEN GNOMES ON SALE (3 SHOTS) 2.16 17. SCU: SOUNDBITE (English) WOMAN SAYING: "Well they're cute, that's for certain, you could always have it in your garden, no telling what a cat might do to it though." 2.26 18. SCU: SOUNDBITE (English) SECOND WOMAN SAYING: "I don't take any notice of who they are, I just like gnomes, I've got large ones, small ones, laying down ones and fishing ones, but the people mean nothing to me it's the colours and the shapes that I go for." 2.40 19. SV: SOUNDBITE (English) MAN HOLDING UP GNOMES AND SAYING: "The Conservatives will light the way, the Liberals, you've got to dig your own, and what've we got for the other bloke [Tony Blair] .... and Labour will give you the axe. How's that." 2.56 LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MAY 23, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 20. SCU: EXTERIOR OF THORNTONS CHOCOLATE SHOP ON REGENT STREET 3.01 21. PAN: INTERIOR OF SHOP 3.09 22. SCU: CHOCOLATE POLITICIANS (ELECTION LOLLIES) ON SALE 3.14 23. CLOSE UP OF SIGN SAYING ELECTION LOLLIPOPS, POLITICIANS CAN BE BOUGHT 3.19 24. CLOSE UP OF TONY BLAIR ELECTION LOLLIPOP 3.23 25. CLOSE UP OF WILLIAM HAGUE CHOCOLATE LOLLIPOP 3.26 26. CLOSE UP OF CHARLES KENNEDY CHOCOLATE LOLLIPOP 3.30 27. SCU: SOUNDBITE (English) LIZETE MENDES, MANAGER, THORNTONS SAYING: "So far the most seller is Tony Blair. We produced sixty thousand of them and we've sold forty six percent and after that we have William Hague with thirty four percent and after that we have Charles Kennedy with eighteen percent." 3.53 28. VARIOUS ELECTION GOODS LAID OUT IN OXFORD STREET 3.58 29. SCU: SOUNDBITE (English) MAN BEING SHOWN RED LABOUR KNICKERS READING 'I LIKE THE SMACK OF A FIRM GOVERNMENT' SAYING: "Red for Labour" REPORTER ASKS "Would you buy them for your girlfriend?" MAN ANSWERS "Yes. Are you going to give me them?" 4.04 30. SV: SOUNDBITE (English) SECOND MAN LOOKING AT KNICKERS AND PICKING OUT I LOVE CHARLES KENNEDY KNICKERS SAYING: "Yeah, that's the one." 4.07 31. SV: SOUNDBITE (English) GIRL HOLDING UP CONSERVATIVE BLUE KNICKERS WITH NO NO NO WRITTEN ON THEM SAYING: "Yeah I like that one." 4.10 32. SV: SOUNDBITE (English) THIRD MAN HOLDING ALL THREE GNOMES SAYING: "I'm going to have to look aren't I, I don't recognise him, no you coat them up with Father Christmas gear to the extent that they don't signify do they, other than the colours." 4.30 33. PAN DOWN POSTER READING 'POLITICS ARE TO SERIOUS A MATTER TO BE LEFT TO POLITICIANS' TO CARICATURES OF THREE LEADERS 4.39 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 7th June 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LONDON, WATFORD, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
  • City:
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVA8ANBESZEN2U8CGIWQMZOUAMD2
  • Story Text: Though many in Britain seem bored by an election
    believed to be a foregone conclusion, some retailers are
    trying to spice the campaign up with some obscure and bizarre
    election paraphernalia.


    Britain's Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has repeatedly
    warned his party that apathy and lack of voter interest is one
    the greatest dangers on his campaign for a second term in
    office. Judging by the general public, he could well be right.

    Observers all agree that the election result is easily
    predictable and the opposition Conservatives have so far
    failed to make up any ground on the government's huge lead in
    the polls.

    But some retailers have decided to cash in on the
    election with assorted products available to liven the whole
    campaign up.

    Poilitico's Bookstore in Westminster, the political
    heart of London, has long been well known for it's political
    memorablilia. The shop's shelves bulge with election goods
    with everything from election themed golf balls to election
    themed knickers. If your pet has a political turn you can even
    buy soft Tony Blair pet toys or if you fancy dressing up
    there's also a wide range of masks and props to go with them.

    Peter Just, Manager of Politico's explained that the
    William Hague goods unlike the real polls are outselling Tony
    Blair, "Anything to do with William Hague is outselling Blair
    by about ten to one. We sold out of the William Hague the
    winner mug and we're selling William Hague baseball caps with
    just Hague across the forehead and we're selling Blair ones as
    well, but the Hague are outselling the Blair. The same with
    our knickers, our I love William Hague knickers are outselling
    Blair by about ten to one." he said.

    One of Britain's largest supermarkets, Asda, has also
    got in on the act. In marginal seats the supermarket chain has
    introduced election garden gnomes, with three different
    designs, one for each party. Customers can now choose between
    the Tony Blair, the William Hague or the Charles Kennedy
    gnome. Though store managers refused to comment on which
    political gnome was winning in the sales stakes, because they
    hadn't been available for long enough, early indications
    showed that once again Hague was outdoing Blair.

    Shoppers in the marginal seat of Watford were bemused by
    gnomes, "Well they're cute, that's for certain, you could
    always have it in your garden, no telling what a cat might do
    to it though." said one woman. "I don't take any notice of who
    they are, I just like gnomes, I've got large ones, small ones,
    laying down ones and fishing ones, but the people mean nothing
    to me it's the colours and the shapes that I go for." said
    another.

    One man decided that the implements each gnome was carrying
    was significant, "The Conservatives will light the way, the
    Liberals, you've got to dig your own, and what've we got for
    the other bloke [Tony Blair] .... and Labour will give you
    the axe. How's that." he explained.

    Back in the centre of London, Thorntons chocolate shops
    are running their own polls selling chocolate lollipops in the
    shape of the three main political leaders. The so called
    election lollipops are sold under the slogan, 'politicians can
    be bought'. Lizete Mendes, manager of the Regent Street store
    explained that Thorntons seemed to bucking the trend with Tony
    Blair topping their sales polls. "So far the most seller is
    Tony Blair. We produced sixty thousand of them and we've sold
    forty six percent and after that we have William Hague with
    thirty four percent and after that we have Charles Kennedy
    with eighteen percent." she said.

    The percentages of the chocolate sales match the real
    polls surprisingly closely. Current polls have the Labour
    party on about fifty points with the Conservatives lagging
    around twenty points behind, with the Liberals a further
    fifteen points behind.

    Out on London's famous Oxford Street people got to have
    their own say. Politico's knickers seemed the most popular of
    the election goods with people picking out the pants they
    preferred. Though one man decided that Asda's garden gnomes
    looked more like Father Christmas then any politician, "I
    don't recognise him, no you coat them up with Father Christmas
    gear to the extent that they don't signify do they, other than
    the colours." he said.

    But whether you like the pants the golf balls, the
    gnomes or even the 'Blair bear' most people seemed agreed on
    the fact that election paraphernalia is livening up what most
    deem to be a boring general election.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register