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My emotions were heightened today by what I saw on my ballot paper. There were six prospective Westminster politicians. Yeah, I know I live in a democracy; my head accepts what that means, but my heart did not like what had moved into the political frame in this area, this time, and for a general election. I had truly hoped we were far enough away from the 'madding crowd' to remain uncontaminated by such extreme views. I felt deeply offended that one person seeking votes for beliefs and policies, which I generally find abhorrent, was described as living within spitting distance of my space, actually impinging on it, and was wanting to introduce such horrible divisiveness into what has, in my many years here, been a calm open-minded and friendly area.
I voted and my cross definitely did not go into the box alongside the candidate representing all that was alien to peaceful co-existence. I trust that there are a lot of other voters out there who placed their votes elsewhere.
There is no heart, not yet, in the current election campaign. There is too much scripted play on personal emotions, rather than caring for, or about 'you', or the country, from one corner of the political divide. Is this more American style importing from the light blue front man, along with paraphrasing Nixon, Kennedy and Obama. Some original thinking would be a surprise.
There's much bandying about cutting out the cancerous elements of society; at times it seems that the older generation are being lumped into it. Hear also, the very rushed emotive sound bites about the care and treatment of cancer that are meant to painfully bite, for a political cause, no empathic purpose attached, cynically used for the power trip.
Then there's the emphasis on celebrity culture. Substance matters not a jot. Why not vote in the footballer, David Beckham, or his wife, Victoria who has experience of being a media wife. Britain's Got Talent; no chance, we like to denigrate ourselves.
There is no doubt about what the papers and other media are doing. There are very one-sided reports and commentary, also, there is carefully selected imagery. As usual they are playing at being king-makers. Their proprietors, who greatly influence their newspapers' output and editorial management, have no vote in this country, no locus, yet they are allowed to take power without responsibility. I hope it back-fires,big time.
There are so many contrasting sound bites to generate fear factors. The biggest fear factor is supposed to be electing a hung Parliament. Heaven help us all if our Parliamentarians have to talk nicely to one another and behave like decent and sensible grown ups ought to. That would never do, would it. What kind of example would that set to our young people and the country at large?
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