Dave the Chameleon

Dave the Chameleon (in blue)

Dave the Chameleon is the British Labour Party's advertising slogan, and the basis of their politcal campaign, for the 2006 elections to local government. The campagin attempts to portray the opposition leader, David Cameron, as an ever changing populist who will be whatever people want him to be. It has been criticzed by some as being a highly negative form of campagining

Broadcasts

A short video, showing some of "Dave's" antics was first aired on British TV as a party political broadcast on the 18th April, 2006, and the Labour Party is planning a sequel to the episode, to be aired on the 27th April. The 'episodes' are also available on the campagin's website , which also includes ringtones and a podcast version.

Message

Dave the Chameleon - entitled 'Dave' rather than 'David' due to Cameron's wish to be known by the more informal term - uses the best known characteristic of a chameleon to mock the Conservative Party leader. They aim to show that Cameron will 'change his colours' to fit the opinions of the people he is speaking to at a certain time. The Labour Party claim that this is a trick to hide his conservative values from others.

The broadcasts were accompanied by the song Karma Chameleon by Culture Club. In particular, the line "I'm a man, without conviction" can be heard during the broadcast.

Plot

Episode 1

The first episode details the biography of Dave. A blue David the Chameleon emerges from a blue egg - royal blue being the Conservative party's colour - and goes to school, wearing a staw hat, an allusion to his Etonian past. David, like David Cameron, joins the Conservative Party during its time in power under John Major but, when Major's government begins to collapse, David the Chameleon 'disappears' into the background to work in public relations (again reflecting Cameron's career).

Acorrding to the story, David the Chameleon learns a number of 'sneaky' skills in P.R., making him a master of spin. He changes his name to the more informal 'Dave' and learns that, as a Chameleon, he can change his colours at will. As the narrator says:

"And Dave the Chameleon changed into every colour of the rainbow, as he told everyone just what he 'thought' they wanted to hear. But underneath it all he was still true blue, through and through."

Dave the Chameleon is then shown as very blue, accompanied with a quote from David Cameron that 'I am Conservative to the core of my being, as those who know me best will testify' (taken from an interview with the Daily Telegraph). He then turns red - reflecting the colour of the Labour Party - and is acompanied by the David Cameron quote that he is the 'heir to Blair'. Next Dave turns yellow - to reflect the UK's third biggest party, the Liberal Democrats - alongside Cameron's quote that 'I am a liberal conservative'. Dave then becomes green (and visits a solar panel shop) - mocking David Cameron's attempts to make the Conservative Party more environmentally friendly - before finally turning blue. The campaign's tag line is: 'Available in any colour (as long as its blue).'

Episode 2

The second episode of Dave the Chameleon's adventures was aired on the 28th of April, a week before the Local Elections (4th May). The plot of this episode is largely the same as that of the previous one; repeating a number of scenes and accusations. This second episode, however, twice links Dave to Black Wednesday, seen as being the low point in John Major's rein as Prime Minister. Ironically, the press had dubbed the previous day a 'Black Wednesday' for Tony Blair, after scandles involving John Prescott, Charles Clarke and Patricia Hewitt, three British Cabinet members. It also criticizes the Tory manifesto for the 2005 UK General Election, which Dave helped write, as a "little blue book... which he loved, but nobody else did."

The second episode also makes refernces to Dave's trip to a glacier in Norway, paryoding Cameron's similar visit; it makes the point that for an apparently pointless trip, the harm on the environment from Dave's flight would be high. Dave is shown "turning into his greenest green" and the Conservative elction slogan, "Vote blue, go green" is highlighted to indicate Dave's colour changing tendancies.

Dave the Chameleon then's specific colour changes are then mentioned; all of these show that he is "True Blue, through and through" and refer to apparent position changes from David Cameron. These include changes in policy on the minimum wage and the Iraq War. The narrator then refers to David Cameron directly by name (as opposed to Dave the Chameleon), saying that:

"David Cameron will tell you whatever he thinks he want you to hear, because he knows you will never give him your vote if you see his true colours."

The final scene shows the Vote Labour slogan, before ending.

Criticisms

The campaign's critics have commented that this is just a private attack on the Conservative Party leader , especially since the Labour party have released a ringtone which impersonates David Cameron . Others have noted that the Conservatives, with their election slogan 'vote blue to go green' have , have not effectively combatted this approach. The Labour party claim that the campaign is meant to be humerous and re-engage voters. By using ringtones and podcasts, they claim to be campaigning to younger generations .

Other critics have noted that Tony Blair, the leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister has done a number of the things for which Cameron is criticised in the campaign. They claim that:

• He has shortened his name from Anthony to Tony
• He too has supported many issues originally backed by different parties
• He, and much of his party, have "gone green"
• Blair was educated at Fettes College in Edinburgh (sometimes called the "Eton of Scotland" ), so had a fairly priviledged education himself.
• Blair and 'New Labour' are often credited with introducing spin to the UK scene as an important element of political campaigning .