▲
2
▼
When traversing the drainage pipe that leads to Barnsworth, the player can spot graffiti that reads "PAY NO POLL TAX" and "DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD!" These reference slogans from opponents of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
The former references the Community Charge, a controversial policy of the Thatcher administration that resulted in her 1990 resignation following widespread protests (it was ultimately replaced by the Council Tax three years later). The latter message references a campaign by anti-Thatcherites following her death in 2013 to inflate the chart position of "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead", a song from the 1939 film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, under the pretense that the BBC would be forced to play it over the radio. The network ultimately compromised by including a brief snippet in a news report about the campaign. The presence of both references ties in with the game's setting in Northern England, where anti-Thatcherism is particularly pronounced.
The former references the Community Charge, a controversial policy of the Thatcher administration that resulted in her 1990 resignation following widespread protests (it was ultimately replaced by the Council Tax three years later). The latter message references a campaign by anti-Thatcherites following her death in 2013 to inflate the chart position of "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead", a song from the 1939 film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, under the pretense that the BBC would be forced to play it over the radio. The network ultimately compromised by including a brief snippet in a news report about the campaign. The presence of both references ties in with the game's setting in Northern England, where anti-Thatcherism is particularly pronounced.
In-game footage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PDQpZlzbHM#t=3656s
Article about the Community Charge and Council Tax:
https://web.archive.org/web/20240619051816/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/8370222/Local-government-funding-timeline-From-rates-to-poll-tax-to-council-tax.html
Articles about the "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" campaign:
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-22145306
https://web.archive.org/web/20161207233025/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/apr/09/anti-thatcher-sentiment-singles-charts
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/apr/10/thatcher-death-ding-dong-witch
https://web.archive.org/web/20130414113143/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/posts/Statement-regarding-Radio-1s-Chart-Show-14-April-2013
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PDQpZlzbHM#t=3656s
Article about the Community Charge and Council Tax:
https://web.archive.org/web/20240619051816/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/8370222/Local-government-funding-timeline-From-rates-to-poll-tax-to-council-tax.html
Articles about the "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" campaign:
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-22145306
https://web.archive.org/web/20161207233025/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/apr/09/anti-thatcher-sentiment-singles-charts
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/apr/10/thatcher-death-ding-dong-witch
https://web.archive.org/web/20130414113143/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/posts/Statement-regarding-Radio-1s-Chart-Show-14-April-2013
Related Games
Untitled Goose Game
Trine 2
Monopoly
Zoop
Mega Man 10
Paradigm
Batman: Arkham Trilogy
Crayon Shin Chan: The Storm Called! Flaming Kasukabe Runner!!
2006 FIFA World Cup
Dead or Alive 6
Skull Island: Rise of Kong
Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix
Transformers: War for Cybertron
Jack Jeanne
Hitman: Contracts
Iji
Rygar
Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep - A Fragmentary Passage
Constantine
Halo 4
Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!
Thrillville: Off the Rails
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling
Colin McRae Rally
Pirates! Gold
Disney's Toy Story
Dark Seed
Phalanx
South Park
Mega Man X4
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock
Garten of Banban
Halo: Reach
Disneyland Adventures
Oddity
Terraria
Dead to Rights II
LEGO Jurassic World
Millipede
Chuchel
WarioWare: Get It Together!
Oddworld: Soulstorm
Assassin's Creed Shadows
Fortnite
Dota 2
Life is Strange
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures 2: ASSimilation
1-2-Switch