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News & politics

High street store Lush brands the police "liars"

(134 Posts)
Day6 Sat 02-Jun-18 19:53:03

Headline from the Huffington Post.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/lush-police-campaign_uk_5b110682e4b0d5e89e1ea8c0

Home Secretary Sajid Javid wrote: “Never thought I would see a mainstream British retailer running a public advertising campaign against our hardworking police."

I rarely use the store but my grandchildren like bath-bombs. I buy them as an occasional treat for them. I certainly won't be stepping foot side a Lush store ever again.

I for one support our hard working and brave police officers. I wouldn't want to do the job. To brand them all liars and spies on shop windows, no matter what campaign they are backing, is irresponsible and stupid. angry

I am not surprised to discover the owners of Lush are Corbyn supporters.

maryeliza54 Sun 03-Jun-18 13:05:47

Love how the ‘argument’ goes

1. Lush are terrible and everyone will boycott them and they will go out of business
2. Lush are terrible but they are not being boycotted by everyone so it is clearly a cunning plot to increase sales
3. Well whatever,it’s all JC’s fault

lemongrove Sun 03-Jun-18 13:23:57

Nobody has said it is all Corbyn’s fault, but if Lush have done this to gain left wing kudos from him, he may want to say something about it (or he may not.)
How does everyone feel about all High St shops doing this kind of thing? Peering into Clarks to see Summer sandals to be greeted by a display rant about nurses? Boots piling their windows with coffee cups and dirty disposable nappies to highlight plastic pollution?Shops should stick to selling soaps candles shoes etc not bombarding us with political or ethical messages , and especially not doing it to increase sales in a cynical way.

lemongrove Sun 03-Jun-18 13:26:24

Not that it makes any difference to me, as just passing a Lush shop gives me nausea, the strong scents wafting out make me think the assistants should have danger money for working in that atmosphere all day.

paddyann Sun 03-Jun-18 13:34:36

People might engage their brains more often if they faced the odd protest as they go about their day.Far too many think politics is nothing to do with them and they vote for idiots because they dont take time to think about what some of these clowns stand for .I would have no problem with a protest in shops.I've boycotted lots of things over the years because of protests OUTSIDE the shop that I maybe wouldn't have heard of before

Day6 Sun 03-Jun-18 13:48:04

People might engage their brains more often if they faced the odd protest as they go about their day

What sort of hellish existence would that be, paddyann if every shop had an axe to grind about matters we hear about in the news?

"You will hear our message!"

Any shop with a political agenda the proprietors wanted to push into my face would not get my custom.

We can walk by street preachers, or protesters ranting about a cause dear to them. Let free speech have a voice but don't force me to look or listen just because I want to buy a bar of soap.

Day6 Sun 03-Jun-18 13:52:30

just passing a Lush shop gives me nausea

Same here lemon.

The scent wafting out is sickly sweet and overpowering. I avoid walking by if I can. I have never hankered after their products. I'll have good reason to cross to the other side of the road now.

maryeliza54 Sun 03-Jun-18 14:40:13

lemongrove really really - is that the best you can argue? Well yes probably it is - reductio ad absurdum - a refuge for those who have no logical argument to make. Sad

lemongrove Sun 03-Jun-18 15:20:21

Since I have posted three comments on this thread MaryE I wonder which one you have taken against ( in your usual
Angry fashion). Time for you to have a chilled glass of something?

lemongrove Sun 03-Jun-18 15:21:41

Exactly Day6 can you imagine that scenario, every shop shrieking a message as you pass by?

Day6 Sun 03-Jun-18 15:42:28

It would lemon.

And their messages would all, most likely, be allied to their political leanings.

Lush's poorly thought through and arrogant campaign has backfired on them massively. If other shops thought it was their duty to 'educate' passers-by they too could lose customers and their good will.

paddyann Sun 03-Jun-18 15:52:26

well shops local to me have had campaings running and I haven't seen anyone running for the hills .One supporting the local hospital thats facing closure.One against local council cuts in parks and gardens .If people see whats happening locally and have somewhere to sign up to the petitions they will.Seems we do things differently here in Scotland.

Anniebach Sun 03-Jun-18 15:56:47

Big difference in supporting the local hospital and stating police are paid to lie.

Ilovecheese Sun 03-Jun-18 15:56:56

No, not different in Scotland, we have local shops campaigning against selling off some local green space.

Chewbacca Sun 03-Jun-18 16:39:39

Personally, I can't think of a worse combination than a retail outlet having a political agenda to promote to their busy customers. When I'm dashing into the shops in my lunch hour, looking for something for that evening's supper, I'd rather not be waylaid by someone banging their political drum and trying to engage me in political discourse. As said upthread, political tub thumpers and evangelists standing on street corners can be neatly side stepped and ignored, but I'd rather not get embroiled whilst out shopping. Might make me lose my temper.

paddyann Sun 03-Jun-18 18:44:30

until the enquiry has gone ahead and a verdict we dont know if THESE police were paid to lie .Undercover police... isn't lying part of the job ?

Anniebach Sun 03-Jun-18 18:52:25

Lush has delivered the verdict

maryeliza54 Sun 03-Jun-18 18:52:38

We do know that at least some of them were paid to lie - some hsv3 lost jobs and women hav3 been paid compensation. There have been court cases - I think the enquiry is about how it was allowed to happen etc I don’t think that there’s anything intrinsically wrong with a window display - I had to put up with enough during the RW - boycotted the shops as any of us can do. It’s hardly as if lush products are essential

Jalima1108 Sun 03-Jun-18 19:46:15

I agree with Chewbacca's post Sun 03-Jun-18 16:39:39

If I wanted to buy over-scented soap I don't want to be subjected to their political agenda. If I want to listen to all that I would go to a political meeting (or go on GN!)

notanan2 Sun 03-Jun-18 20:12:14

during the Brexit vote lush said they were going to move all admin/HQ/etc out of the UK if the vote was yes.

As far as I know that hasnt happened.

So it seems like they just like headlines. Any headlines.

Chewbacca Fri 08-Jun-18 13:24:09

Lush have decided to drop their anti spy cops campaign "for the safety of our staff".

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44413586

Thank goodness for that. It was an ill conceived idea n the first place.

Maggiemaybe Fri 08-Jun-18 13:43:33

I’m glad. Though I’m sorry they didn’t cancel it because it was unfair to the vast majority of police officers.

OldMeg Fri 08-Jun-18 13:52:04

Since when have the police been beyond criticism?

Ilovecheese Fri 08-Jun-18 13:54:29

The shop staff. Were intimidated. I have been reading a bit more about the campaign, which is supported by the wives of the undercover officers who had affairs with, and in some cases, children with the women they were supposed to be monitoring. It is also supported by some Mps. The Government had promised an enquiry into the conduct of the officers concerned and the Lush campaign was brought about to hurry the Government up a bit.
Since reading a bit more about it I can see that the campaign was a good idea, but too easy to misinterpret.

People were going in to the shops to tear down the posters and frightening the staff, who are mainly young women.

Chewbacca Fri 08-Jun-18 14:03:36

That's reprehensible ilovecheese; the campaign was nothing to do with the staff in the shops and they didn't deserve to get flack because of the campaign.

Maggiemaybe Fri 08-Jun-18 14:07:09

Perhaps you should RTFT, OldMeg. I see no reason to repeat my earlier posts, explaining why I think the campaign was unfair on, as I said, the vast majority of police officers.

As for intimidation, a member of my family recently had acid thrown in his face while arresting a person you really wouldn't want in your neighbourhood. If it hadn't been for the quick thinking of a colleague who picked up a hosepipe and drenched him with it, he'd be blind and disfigured now. As it is his sight is compromised. Didn't even make the local paper. angry

The Lush campaign, with its simple message that the police are paid to lie, has no doubt given a few more morons the justification they need for that sort of behaviour against the pigs.