Bucolic visions in the Yes campaign’s advertising

For 24 years I have lived in the thick of a bird-shooters’ stomping-ground and believe me when I say that never, but never, have I seen any hunter who is dressed like this, still less one with a total of four dogs, all on leashes.

Nor have I ever seen a hunter who is not carrying a gun. That would defeat the purpose, wouldn’t it.

You will have noticed that the Yes campaign is appropriating all the trigger-images that should be used by the No campaign: bucolic visions of the countryside; families picnicking in peace and tranquility; animals (in this case, dogs).

Meanwhile, the No campaign is nowhere. At this point, it should be plastering the media with adverts showing dead, broken and bloodied birds, children stumbling across these corpses and becoming upset (which is exactly what happens), big RTO signs and rubber-jolly insults, families harassed when they are trying to walk or picnic, louts in flak jackets and camouflage, guns and more guns.

And all we get is Saviour Balzan shouting and shrieking out his hatred of hunters, which is not to be confused with concern for birds, conservation or picnicking families.

You know what? I take it back. I think Moira Delia should shove him out of the way and front the campaign herself. In jeans and a T-shirt, with a scrubbed face, she looks right for the role and she’s a hell of a lot more appealing than that humourless axe-grinder.

You can’t do this kind of thing when you don’t know how to communicate across the board. It’s impossible.