The general election is fast approaching and it's as if the nation has been subjected to a mob of dementors. At the beginning of the campaign, morale was very low; people were sick of Labour but they didn't like the Tories either. It wasn't a case of voting for who you wanted to be in power- rather which party you thought was the lesser of two evils. Democracy had reared its head and it wasn't pretty.
Then the posters went up. "Broken Britain" slogans, airbrushed faces, posters which mocked and bullied the opposition. It was one big war between Labour with their "experienced hand which will lift us out of the recession" and the Tories with their suspiciously hymn book esque manifesto.
And then the debate happened and alas, a new competitor emerged: the Lib Dems .They surfaced as the clear winners, leaving Brown desperately trying a form an allegiance with them. The 10 million who had watched the debate now saw an alternative, and they liked it. The post-interview polls showed a rise in Lib Dem support and a decline in Tory support. But what's interesting is why this happened and whether or not it can last. I think the majority of people never really paid attention to the Lib Dems- they were like the shirt you buy 'cause you quite liked it at the time but then shove at the bottom of your wardrobe and forget about. People were expecting Nick Clegg to fail, but he didn't.
You know the X Factor/BGT contestant who you don't think will be any good (think SuBo here) and have low hopes for, but then they open their mouths and Christ! They can sing? That's Nick. On the other hand, SuBo didn't win BGT in the end. She came close, but the public didn't quite give her what she needed. Oh, and then she had her mental breakdown but we'll just leave it there.
So this begs the question as to whether or not Lib Dem support will be shortlived- already the polls have shown a slight decline in their support. Cameron and Brown will be more ready to scrutinise the Lib Dem's policies and it will be up to Clegg to maintain his newfound support.
Que se sera se sera, and in the meantime, I leave you with a few propsed laws from the Monster Raving Loony Party's manifesto:
-> Hypocrites: It is propsed that politicians be made to swear a "Hippocratic Oath" preventing them by law from being Hypocrites. All politicians should be made to stand by their policies or at least admit that they were wrong.
->Balanced view: All politicians should be made to stand continually on one leg to check how balanced their arguments are. This would reduce political flatulence and soothe the listener's ears.
-> Politicians are shocked: Politicians be fitted with electric collars, the type used to stop dogs barking, and be shocked every time they lie.
-> Never mind the money: Every year the Prime Minister should be tarred and feathered. This will make the job much less appealing and hopefully lead to short-term office for power-hungry MPs.
-> Transport politicians to hospitals: Politicians should be made to use public transport, this wil have many benefits and the saved money will go into hospitals which could then be used to treat said politicians.
Am I the only person who thinks the British general public are missing who the real underdogs are? ;)
Then the posters went up. "Broken Britain" slogans, airbrushed faces, posters which mocked and bullied the opposition. It was one big war between Labour with their "experienced hand which will lift us out of the recession" and the Tories with their suspiciously hymn book esque manifesto.
And then the debate happened and alas, a new competitor emerged: the Lib Dems .They surfaced as the clear winners, leaving Brown desperately trying a form an allegiance with them. The 10 million who had watched the debate now saw an alternative, and they liked it. The post-interview polls showed a rise in Lib Dem support and a decline in Tory support. But what's interesting is why this happened and whether or not it can last. I think the majority of people never really paid attention to the Lib Dems- they were like the shirt you buy 'cause you quite liked it at the time but then shove at the bottom of your wardrobe and forget about. People were expecting Nick Clegg to fail, but he didn't.
You know the X Factor/BGT contestant who you don't think will be any good (think SuBo here) and have low hopes for, but then they open their mouths and Christ! They can sing? That's Nick. On the other hand, SuBo didn't win BGT in the end. She came close, but the public didn't quite give her what she needed. Oh, and then she had her mental breakdown but we'll just leave it there.
So this begs the question as to whether or not Lib Dem support will be shortlived- already the polls have shown a slight decline in their support. Cameron and Brown will be more ready to scrutinise the Lib Dem's policies and it will be up to Clegg to maintain his newfound support.
Que se sera se sera, and in the meantime, I leave you with a few propsed laws from the Monster Raving Loony Party's manifesto:
-> Hypocrites: It is propsed that politicians be made to swear a "Hippocratic Oath" preventing them by law from being Hypocrites. All politicians should be made to stand by their policies or at least admit that they were wrong.
->Balanced view: All politicians should be made to stand continually on one leg to check how balanced their arguments are. This would reduce political flatulence and soothe the listener's ears.
-> Politicians are shocked: Politicians be fitted with electric collars, the type used to stop dogs barking, and be shocked every time they lie.
-> Never mind the money: Every year the Prime Minister should be tarred and feathered. This will make the job much less appealing and hopefully lead to short-term office for power-hungry MPs.
-> Transport politicians to hospitals: Politicians should be made to use public transport, this wil have many benefits and the saved money will go into hospitals which could then be used to treat said politicians.
Am I the only person who thinks the British general public are missing who the real underdogs are? ;)
