Britain’s relationship to Europe was high on the political agenda in the lead-up to the 1997 British General Election. This Conservative Party poster attacks the Labour Party’s policies on Europe as unpatriotic. The British Lion is a symbol of national pride. Here it is shown passive and defeated, weeping red tears – red being the colour of the Labour Party. The poster tied in with a party political broadcast on television which featured the lion roaring while a voiceover listed British economic and political achievements. The lion’s roar became a whimper and the red tear trickled down its cheek as the voiceover turned to European failures and Labour’s enthusiasm for closer links with Europe.

The poster is an example of the ‘attack advertising’ which characterised the 1997 election campaigns. Both the Conservatives and Labour were criticised for negative campaigning.