to be offended and insulted by this video?

[GermyJamie]

Here's an official video posted by the Better Together campaign and played on STV and BBC.

Am I the only one who can't believe their focus groups thought this was okay?

Can't we just see it as an advert to raise knowledge of there cause. Not everything has a hidden underlining sexist message. I think some people see 'offence' everywhere now days.

No freespirit, you're right. Some things have a perfectly overt sexist message instead.

This whole ad suggests that women are uniformed voters. The actress has been placed in a kitchen surrounded by the detritus of a busy family life. Unlike her husband she does not like to talk politics, has not taken the time to inform herself of the arguments, and although she acknowledges how important a decision it is, then goes on to flippantly make the most important political decision of her life in 2 minutes over a bowl of cereal before rushing away, presumably to more important things. It places her as the 'everywoman' firmly in the context of the home and family and suggests that she is not an active participant in wider public debate. It limits women to the domestic world and denies them their place in serious political discourse.

Or as I said earlier, patronising shite.

The ad was made after consulting with focus groups.

It's targeted at the "I don't know if I'm that bothered" types. Maybe all political campaigns should try showing leadership and raising aspirations rather than doing this sort of pandering to the average? However focus groups are where we are at.

They are particularly targeting women as polling has shown they are far less supportive of Independence for the reasons of pragmatism shown in the ad. I just can't get offended because it's not aimed at me, although I happen to be a woman I'm not a floating voter.

I watched in anticipation of something really awful, but ffs what are you on about? First off, the "man off telly" thing is very obviously because they (again obviously) can't name Salmond for risk of libel claims or accusations of personal attack. That should be pretty simple to understand for anyone who has even the most basic awareness of law or politics, so not sure why you supposedly great yessy minds can't manage to work it out. The rest- not even seeing the slightest basis for calling it patronising, unless you automatically assume that women who stay home with kids or are married are thick. In which case, I'd say it's your side who are the misogynists, really, which is more or less the impression much of the shouty, arrogant, macho posturing yes campaign gives, to be fair, so perhaps you're ok with that.

It is unbelievable that you don't find it patronising IMO. No wonder they think that women can be talked down to when apparently some people wouldn't recognise sexism if it spanked them on the arse and called them sweetheart.

Woodlice I think your case has been proven!

YABU

They have clearly been discussing it a lot (her and her husband).

'Eat your cereal' - is just a politer way of saying 'shut up'. Not everyone wants indepth conversation before breakfast.

She is aware of the issues - she's thought about them. She was just undecided which she thought was best for Scotland. Everyone makes that decision at sometime - why is it wrong to do so when she did??

She is 'off to work' so it's not just a 'gap' between little housewifey bits

Well there's this version with some helpful notes:

m.youtube.com/watch?v=HH9TvFMYs48&feature=youtu.be

I've got a "basic awareness of law" Woodlice (I'm a solicitor) and I know that libel only applies if something is untrue. Therefore, the BT group need only avoid naming Alex Salmond if they knew, or suspected, that what they were saying was untrue.

Mr Sheen great minds...

They don't name him as he is .... Voldemort.

You don't name (and thus promote) the opposition's big asset.

I prefer this

Woodlice, your post is both ignorant and aggressive. As AberdeenAngusina says, libel laws wouldn't apply as they are only reiterating something AS has said and does believe, not something that is untrue. Party political broadcasts refer to opponents by names all the time.

Even if your point were valid, and they wanted to avoid specific names, they could have used 'the First minister,' or even a generic 'the politicians,' 'the Independence supporters,' etc, not the uninformed, infantile 'that man off the telly.'

Nobody is making necessarily making assumptions about people who are married, or have children. But a default 'kitchen' setting, with references to breakfast, children, infantalised husband, etc. IS a lazy, old-fashioned, and quite possibly sexist way of representing an "everywoman". Why not have her at the gym/talking to friends/in her workplace?