British billboards

It seems a long time since there was a British election in which voters were offered a fundamental choice—perhaps the most stark was the ‘Winter of Discontent’ election of 1979 when Britain was offered the same full-on socialism that had led Britain to bankruptcy in just three decades, or Margaret Thatcher.

Sadly now, when its government’s deficits are once again at South American levels (and climbing), all that Britons are offered as an alternative to Gordon Brown’s print-and-hope policy is David Cameron--Britain's smile-and-wave leaderette in the wings.

Sad.

But despite the often paper-thin differences between the main parties, their political advertising has always been brilliant. Being much easier to attack than to present the non-existent positive qualities of their own party, they’ve always gone for the jugular in attacking their opposition.

 The Telegraph has a gallery of some of the more memorable, including a few from elections where there really was a stark difference.  These are some of my own favourites, in roughly chronological order: