DOCUMENT 29.1
Labour Isn’t Working, 1979
Margaret Thatcher once claimed that this poster titled Labour Isn’t Working won the Conservatives the 1979 election. It was targeted directly at the central issue driving the Conservative resurgence, the failure of the Labour government to reverse Britain’s economic decline. As you will see, the Conservative message went beyond this single issue. Nonetheless, it was the claim made in this poster that laid the foundation for the Conservative campaign.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
How do the slogan and image work together to articulate a single message?
Take a close look at the people standing in line. Do they look like a cross-section of the British unemployed? What groups seem overrepresented? Which seem underrepresented? How would you explain the discrepancies you note?