Election flyers: Wage drop

Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, October 11th, 2011 - 21 comments
Categories: activism, Campaign Hub 2011, cost of living, democratic participation, election 2011, The Standard, wages - Tags:

The Internet is great for politics as a forum for discussion and a place for organising and mobilising but don’t let it replace the real action, which is out in the streets.

We’re going to do a series of flyers for readers to print off and distribute, as we did last election, and set up a campaign hub like in 2008 too.

Here’s the first of the flyers as a PDF. It draws together Key’s “we would love to see wages drop” admission with the results of his rule. Thanks to William Joyce for the artwork (and sorry for the delay, tech issues).

The idea is that they can be printed off four per A4 page, in colour or black & white, then cut up into easy to handle A6-size flyers. These ones are single-sided, future ones may be double-sided. This flyer is authorised by Lynn.

Now all that’s needed is you. Dropping these flyers in letterboxes around your neighbourhood is a great activity if you’re not involved in a political party but want to spread the message, or if you are involved with a party, and want to slip something extra in with your drop.

If you have any ideas or flyers, send them in. Remember, it’s perfectly legal for you to create your own flyers and other materials with your own authorisation – as long as you don’t call for people to vote for a particular party (you can call for them not to vote for a certain party). We’ll keep a track of how often the flyers are downloaded and make an estimate of the print value, but, at a cent or two per flyer, there’s no chance of passing the $12,000 level at which third party spending has to be registered with the Electoral Comission.

21 comments on “Election flyers: Wage drop ”

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  1. Chris 1
    11 October 2011 at 12:46 pm

    One point – With flyers like this I and many others like me will glance at it and not read it at all. All I would see on this flyer would be the words John Key and a picture of him. Not exactly the impact you are going for I would guess.

    • Blighty 1.1
      11 October 2011 at 12:58 pm

      like the post says, in third party ads, you can’t support a party but you can oppose them. Therefore, they’re going to have to mention the people they’re opposing.

      Personally, I doubt anyone is going to be swayed to voting FOR Key if they happen to just see his name and half his scowling face on a flyer. They’ve already heard of him.

      However, if they take 5 seconds to read the thing, I think it gets its message across nicely. Things have gotten worse under National, we can’t afford three more years.

      • Chris 1.1.1
        11 October 2011 at 1:07 pm

        I never said that people would be swayed to vote for him, but people will look at it and write it off as a political ad for him.

        The best flyers/signs you should be able to glance at and immediately tell what they are about then have detail for people who want to read more.

        That why my criticism is having John Key in big lettering at the top. More effective for me would just be his face or his name with a cross through like the no smoking sign. Or even more simple why not make it red or green or whatever your preference is.

  2. Colonial Viper 2
    11 October 2011 at 1:12 pm

    Please put the election date on them!

    Lots of people know that there is an election “coming up” but seem to have no idea that it is right around the corner!!!

  3. sally 3
    11 October 2011 at 1:26 pm

    Why do left-wing organisations always have to have stuff that looks like it was designed by a blind chimp using MS Paint?

    • Blighty 3.1
      11 October 2011 at 1:59 pm

      look forward to seeing yours

      • sally 3.1.1
        11 October 2011 at 3:04 pm

        I have designed heaps of leaflets for left-wing organisations over the years. I’d happily assist with this one.

        Here’s a few basic pointers:
        1) assume that the leaflet is going to be run through a basic Xerox machine, so keep colours to a minimum; think about how it looks in black and white.
        2) the message needs to be really simple and clear. The yellow inflation pacman eating the wages cup cake with numbers (in the thousands) doesn’t make obvious sense to me.
        3) assume that your audience doesn’t keep track with belt-way politics.
        4) use one font. If you must use two fonts, you’re doing it wrong. (There is actually one exception, and that is when you are direct-quoting, when you should use Times New Roman or Courier New – which, to your credit, you have).

        Here’s how I would improve this leaflet:
        I’d divide it in two, half black, half white. On the black side, say “John Key said this: We would love…” and on the white side say “New Zealand got this… [clearing articulate in a handful of words what the Pacman and cupcake are trying to say].
        Across the bottom in bold writing, put the “We don’t get paid enough…” bit.
        Get rid of the hocky font that’s been used (it undermines the seriousness of the poster) and replace it with Arial Bold. Keep the Courier New for the direct quote.

        Just a thought.

        • lprent 3.1.1.1
          11 October 2011 at 3:53 pm

          Draw it, make it a PDF, and send it in. Make sure you leave space for the URL (so they have somewhere to go to) and the authorization.

          If it doesn’t absolutely suck, we’ll add it to the resources

        • Maggie May 3.1.1.2
          13 October 2011 at 10:08 am

          Your advice sounds good Sally, I will look forward to seeing a revised version of the flyer.

          I am delivering for Labour so I could easy print off some and deliver them also.

    • King Kong 3.2
      11 October 2011 at 2:32 pm

      “Why do left-wing organisations always have to have stuff that looks like it was designed by a blind chimp using MS Paint?”

      To answer that question all you need to do is have a look at the “calibre” of the activist in the video of Andrew Little’s protest against asset sales the other day.

      If anyone ever gets irritated reading some of the rubbish here, just remember that these are the drongos writing it and you will return to good humour straight away.

    • Colonial Viper 3.3
      11 October 2011 at 2:40 pm

      I have to agree, getting someone to do something decent on Corel or Illustrator with some good stock images would make a world of difference.

      edited: although not having it look like the same shiny commercial stuff in one’s letterbox may be a good differentiator

      • AAMC 3.3.1
        11 October 2011 at 3:48 pm

        Malcolm Mclaren understood this as does Banksy, doesn’t have to be slick, has to be a very succinct visual IDEA!

  4. The Voice of Reason 4
    11 October 2011 at 1:46 pm

    Are you sure about the advice that it is OK to tell people not to vote for a particular party? The Electoral Commission doesn’t seem to agree:
     
    An election advertisement is an advertisement in any medium that may reasonably be regarded as encouraging or persuading voters to:

    vote or not to vote for a constituency candidate (whether or not the name of the candidate is stated),
    vote or not to vote for a party (whether or not the name of the party is stated),
    vote or not to vote for a type of candidate or party described by reference to views or positions that are, or are not, held or taken (whether or not the name of the candidate or party are stated).

    • Blighty 4.1
      11 October 2011 at 1:59 pm

      but if you have a flyer saying ‘vote Labour’ doesn’t that have to contribute to Labour’s spending limit?

      • The Voice of Reason 4.1.1
        11 October 2011 at 2:13 pm

        Not if you are a third party. For example, some of the unions will be putting out Vote Labour messages, but that goes against their own spending entitlements, not Labour’s.
         
        It would hardly be fair on a party if ads they had no control over counted against their own budget, eh?

      • lprent 4.1.2
        11 October 2011 at 2:16 pm

        No. Depends who put it out for whatever their own reasons are.

        For instance the greens and labour support MMP. If there was a party that didn’t support MMP (like National for instance), are you arguing that supporting the MMP campaign (like we are doing on the right) should also be counted towards the supporting and saying “Don’t vote National” or “Vote Greens” to support MMP should go on those parties budget?

        Of course not…

        But in any case, we’ve put an authorization on it and there is bugger all likelihood of hitting 12k. If there is, then we’ll go and register as a third party. (and let the electoral commission sort it out).

    • Pete George 4.2
      11 October 2011 at 2:04 pm

      I thought the same thing. I haven’t seen anything that allows for personal authorisation and “authorised by Lynn” is inadequate anyway.

      Can you point to where the Electoral Commission backs up what you claim?

      It may seem trivial but rules are rules. If someone like the Exclusive Brethren printed a few million of their own and circulated them I’d expect there would be some grizzles.

      • lprent 4.2.1
        11 October 2011 at 2:09 pm

        Why? It makes it clear that The Standard is putting them out to be dispersed, and as one of trustees of The Standard trust I put my name and address on them if people need to contact us.

        Seems to me that this all that is required by the electoral commission

        Read the PDF

  5. ak 5
    11 October 2011 at 2:40 pm

    Terrific idea. People will read these (as opposed to the usual glossy junkmail that often goes straight in the bin), especially if they’re simple and a wee bit humourous.

    This one’s ok, but I’d avoid a focus on Key: he was selected, groomed and promoted in the press for years as a an anodyne middling council manager/real-estate agent/car salesman, so the image is firmly entrenched. By experts. No more point in blaming him personally than in blaming a pig for being greedy or Pete George for imitating a low-IQ parasite on a dunny snake’s belly. They are what they are.

    It’s the press stranglehold on that crucial middle voter that’s the target: pitch the simple messages and facts at a twelve-year-old’s level of political understanding, and give ’em a larf. And to the rest of us – on our bikes for the healthiest exercise of all.

  6. gobsmacked 6
    11 October 2011 at 5:00 pm

    Speaking of campaign bumf … here’s National’s:

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1110/S00223/john-key-unveils-new-election-hoardings.htm

    Come back John Ansell, all is forgiven! “Balancing the Books Sooner” … that’s got to be one of the most soporific slogans ever.

    It narrowly beat the runner-up: “One day things may be better, or at least better than the other lot, or maybe not, that’s all we got!”