We all look at each other. David looks at Ed who looks at NIck who looks at Nigel who looks at NIcola who looks at Natalie who looks at Leanne. These are our prospective leaders, summoning the ghosts of our political past, plundering the spirit of Churchill even. To paraphrase, never in this field of human conflict was so much owed by so few to so many. Yes, the general election campaigns lumber on and whilst only a couple of weeks in both politicians and electorate are already showing signs of fatigue.
There’s an amazing disconnect in that our political “leaders” are never away from all media but of everything is stage managed to a level North Korea can only envy and the chance of your voter in the street bumping into a politician and asking them a question that hasn't gone through two workshops and a social media trial is actually zero.
There is no escape. Even my twitter feed has paid inserts by a candidate. Albeit they are standing for a constituency adjacent to my own so it’s literally a wasted message. That said, seeing as there’s been next to no contact from anyone in my own constituency it’s good to feel part of the democratic courtship.
Whilst the leaders debated on TV I was watching an episode of House of Cards. The irony that I was more interested in a fictional portrayal of US politics rather than a debate leading up an election in my own country is not lost on me
This week the party manifestos are starting to be published. The straplines for each of the main parties are:
Strong Leadership. A clear economic plan. A brighter, more secure future.
Britain only succeeds when working people succeed.
Stronger economy, fairer society.
Vote for what you believe in.
Policies for People.
Together we can make _______ better.
To build post-austerity ______.
I have to confess that I was hoping that they would reach a level of blandness to make them indistinguishable from each other. I guess you don’t spend all that lobby lolly on high class advertising without getting some degree of “branding”. Whilst distinct there’s nothing that’s going to get you out of your chair, driving your fist into the air shouting “Yes! Finally there’s a message I can get behind”.
The polls are locked out at 34% each for the Conservatives and Labour, 14% for UKIP, 8% for Lib Dems, 6% for the Greens and 6% spread across the rest. The gaming that each serving government undertakes on the constituencies (although not in the last term due to the Lib Dems falling out with the Conservatives over reforms in the House of Lords) means that the distribution of each parties’ vote only equates to a certain number of seats, especially for the smaller parties. All predictions point towards another hung parliament. Labour and the Conservatives will win around 270-odd seats each with the other main player being SNP with 50-odd. They will be the king makers (if such a phrase can be used for parliamentary democracy), not the Lib Dems, who will win somewhere around 26 seats. This will be everyone’s get out of jail cards, in that manifesto commitments will have to be once again sacrificed for the sake of forming a new government.
There is no other news, no culture, no arts just politics. Oh yes, and sport. The football season nears its conclusion. Chelsea, more through pragmatic, stolid attrition are close to winning the “premiership”. They’re not attracting the neutrals who are more likely flocking to a plucky underdog like Burnley as they look to escape relegation or current form hotshots...Crystal Palace who are mirroring Alan Pardew's rejuvenation in his escape from mediocrity and financial safety pursuers Newcastle. Like a last chance cancer patient who has discovered they are in the control group of a clinical trial, Hull City have lost any sense of stoicism and would welcome an early exit, from the looks on their faces, existence in general and certainly the premier league. More importantly, in the league that really matters, the Championship the top six are all WWE, following a dramatic script with twists every weekend, swapping who wins so there remains no points difference between any of them. For our two sides, we remain spectators in our own league. I have seen our sides play each other each season. Less a festival of football it was more a solemn reminder that there will be a lot of pain before the welcome release of death.
If we’re to keep to the Churchillian theme then I’ll close with another of his quotes, mindful that the election remains weeks away - I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many long months of toil and struggle.
