Catalogue Number
T2024.1
Object Name
poster
Title
'A victory for the Labour Party is a victory for you.' (translated)
Place
India, UK
People
Labour Party, Janata Party, James Callaghan, Morarji Desai
Events
Elections, 1979 General Election
Date
1979
Description
A 1979 Labour Party election poster in Punjabi, featuring a photograph of British Prime Minister James Callaghan with Indian Prime Minister Morarji Desai.
The English translation of the Punjabi is:
'A victory for the Labour Party is a victory for you.'
'When Labour is your friend, why should you fear anyone? Have a strong relationship with the Labour Party, your true value is only in your labour. If you need any kind of help regarding voting, you can get help from the Electoral Registration Officer, Local Community Relations Officer or Labour Party office in your town hall.'
Posters aimed at voters who's first language isn't English became more common towards the end of the 20th century in neighbourhoods where many migrants shared a common background or language, in this case Indian people who also spoke Punjabi. These leaflets raised awareness of upcoming elections, and the process of registering to vote, among migrant communities who may have been excluded if they had to rely on English language information. This leaflet shows the British and Indian prime ministers together to show the Punjabi speaking community that Callaghan has a good relationship with India, in the hope that this will encourage British Indians to vote for him.
Morarji Desai (29 February 1896 â 10 April 1995), was the forth prime minister of India, in power from 1977-1979, and as leader of the Janata Party, he was the first PM not to come from the Congress Party. James Callaghan (27 March 1912 â 26 March 2005) was a Labour Party PM between 1976-1979. Following a period of economic instability known as the Winter of Discontent, Callaghan's Labour Party lost the election this leaflet was created for to Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Party.
*On Display*
Please note - any inaccuracies in translation are unintentional, and we welcome corrections.
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