Why Britain Isn’t So Great?

It has emerged that government ministers are considering taking drastic steps to try and reduce immigration to the UK- a negative advert campaign. The plan would be to emphasise everything that is bad about Britain to try and encourage possible immigrants to stay living in their own countries.

Apparently, in the words of one minister, such a campaign would "correct the impression that the streets here are paved with gold". The measures would be aimed especially at Bulgaria and Romania, where changes in law at the end of this year will allow free immigration from these two new EU countries.

Whilst this is probably just an easy news story and pretty unlikely to ever happen, in true British style it has spawned a whole host of mock advert suggestions. News sources from the Guardian, to the Huffington Post have been asking the British to create their own self-deprecating posters about the bad bits of the UK.

Ranging from the weather, to the drinking culture, and back to the weather, some of them are pretty funny. However, there have also been some genuine adverts over the years playing on this idea.

Below we've gathered a selection of some of the best real and fake adverts questioning the greatness of Britain, all with their tongue very firmly in their cheek:

Top: The Guardian asked for their readers to send in their own ideas. The image above from Simon Howat shows the incessant queuing and constantly delayed airports that characterise Britain.

This is an actual advert used by Eurostar in Belgium for its trains to London.
We're not quite sure how it's meant to tempt travellers.

Another from the Guardian, this effort by Lucy Maxwell is simple and straight
to the point- and one of many about the weather.

On the left you can see a genuine poster advertising the culture of the UK. However charity
Church Action on Poverty used it to bring their own message in the advert on the right.

Taking his cue from the minister's reference to streets paved with gold, Ian Douglas sent this effort into the Guardian.

For more fake adverts, check out the Guardian's brilliant gallery.

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