”Fat boy getting egged, and hitting tree-hugger”, was how one respondent in our survey of 15- to 21-year-olds neatly summarised Labour’s less-than-perfect day. There were few who did not think this was the most memorable day of the campaign so far. In other words, reality television beat careful choreography. It’s not surprising, given that Labour’s youth-friendly election broadcast with Geri Halliwell had all the gloss of an MTV video, and as much substance.
More than half of our 2,000-plus respondents – contacted by e-mail through the internet company Another.com – thought John Prescott shouldn’t be blamed for retaliating, while about a quarter thought it was an incident that had no bearing on his ability as Deputy Prime Minister. For most respondents, his image was enhanced, or at least undented. Meanwhile, over half thought that using an ex-Spice Girl trivialised important election issues, while 38 per cent recognised it for the publicity stunt it clearly was.
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