Admittedly, i'm not as switched on as i should be in terms of current politics but i do try and keep an ear (at least) on proceedings from day to day by watching Channel 4 news, Dispatches and Panorama from time to time. On a personal note it's difficult for me to be inspired by politics or vote for a group of people who I see as liars who are very evasive when interviewed or questioned in any way, but still, that’s just me. With that being said i'd like to pose everyone a very relevant question, considering we are very close to a general election as i write this (the date being Thursday April 1st 2010) i'd like to ask, has television and the use of it by politicians (with the aid of spin doctors) ruined politics? By that question i really mean, is an election won by the best personality, rather than the best policies?
I recently watched the panorama special 'How To Win An Election' and over the course of an hour went into great detail about how elections and debates used to be fought in the public arenas of a Trafalgar Square almost like a protest rally at times, along with politicians going on the campaign trail walking into factories, talking to the workers and getting votes by actually connecting with people and people voicing their opinions during these public election debates. Now with the advent of television the election trail does seem almost like professional wrestling during the 1980's/1990's whereby it's the person who has the best 'look' and the best command of their on-screen persona that will 'get over'/be triumphant when the polls open and the people make their choice. Now, as a digital video editor myself you could see me as a part of the media and someone who endorses it, which I do to an extent, but at the same time, i do have to say to myself, this looks like it has dumbed down politics/elections into nothing more than a glorified popularity contest. Panorama used the example of Margaret 'Iron Lady' Thatcher to illustrate the point and also Tony Blair and it really hit home to me that those 2 in particular had very good oratory & a very good command of interview techniques and really knew how to 'work' the voters into believing what they were saying.
These days we are seeing Brown vs Cameron vs Clegg and to me (and the opinion polls) it does look like Brown vs Cameron may be more of the 'battle' for who will run the country next. In my view David Cameron has the better on-screen persona, he has the better look & charisma about him whereas Gordon Brown is as dull as dishwater, but, on a personal note, I can't trust Cameron. My reasoning for this is that every time I see him on television he doesn't seem to be laying out what the Conservatives 'will' do, but what they 'won't' do, and everything he seems to say, to me, seems to always be something to counter what Labour have done or said, disagree if you want but that’s how I see it. Brown however, even though he is currently occupying number 10, he seems to be operating on borrowed time although opinion polls seem to change every other week, so opinion is obviously divided there. The Liberal Democrats on the other hand, well, I don't think many people, including myself, know much about them or their policies as Nick Clegg isn't on our screens as much as the so-called 'big two', so it's difficult to really see what they have to offer, which is a great shame as choice is a great thing to have in a democracy. Now, most of us get our political viewpoints and information from television (it's an inescapable fact, along with the fact that TV is bringing up a lot of children but that’s another story) but when all we are seeing is a glorified popularity contest being played out at election time with no real facts being put out because politicians are being evasive during questions/interviews, it's hard to make an informed or even a correct decision. I personally believe that the advent of television has ruined politics to an extent, because it's turned election time into a glorified popularity contest, and also because it's made politicians so 'aware' of their on-screen personas, that they are less concerned about detailing what policies and changes they will bring to make Britain, 'Great' once again, therefore making it harder to make a qualified decision on who is best suited to run our country. I feel that is part of the problem, but television also can help as well, with programs such as Panorama and also programs like 'Ask the chancellors' which was on Channel 4, which help viewers engage with politics and probes the politicians about what they will and can do for our country, and to me it's those kind of programs which can help television fix this problem of the popularity contest that is the general election, again on a personal note, i was very impressed with the honesty & rationale of Vince Cable, Darling I was semi content with and George Osbourne to me came off as rather pompous, borderline arrogant (especially with his final shot at the Liberal Democrats which was very unnecessary) & very evasive (especially when asked about guaranteeing money won’t be taken from the NHS), but this is just one mans opinion.
Now in closing I would like to say this, no matter who you vote for please, I implore you to vote for the party who you think can run this country best, not the person who looks, talks and puts on the best on-screen image, think about these questions... Brown & Labour may have screwed up our economy, but are Cameron & the Tories better equipped than Labour to dig us out of this hole? We may not know much about Nick Clegg, but could a Liberal Democrat government be just the radical change we need to sort out 'Broken Britain' (as Cameron so eloquently puts it)?
I do believe this country can make the right decision (whatever it may be) and elect the best party for the job, but it's going to take a lot of soul searching and some balls to get it done. We may be picking from a bad bunch, but we’ve got to pick the best from this bunch when those polls open, and as each day goes by i come slightly closer to knowing who I’d pick.
This has been the Straight Shootin’ Blog, and that’s my opinion!
Straight Shootin’ LJA
Be honest, Be vocal, Have an opinion, Make your voice heard – The Straight Shootin’ Mantra (Cos suckas gots 2 kno)
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