If our present political leaders were to be introduced to someone who had not seen any of them before, he would be hard put to keep in mind which was which.
For they are all cast in the same physical mould. Young(ish), fit(ish) good looking (ish), neatly dressed and articulate. And with nary a whisp of grey hair sullying their boot-black shiny heads.
I give you – Cameron, Clegg, the Milliband brothers, Ball.
And it is on those terms we are expected to choose between them.
They’re just Prince Charmings
No question for any of them as to their moral or intellectual qualities, their plans for the future – apart from the standard politicians waffling – or indeed any reason at all why we should trust them with our country, or our Island, except they keep their hair tidy and their shoes polished.
And of course, the fact that they are all modelled on the boyishly smiling, frank and open looking Tony Blair. Who was a clone of Bill Clinton, who was a clone of Jack Kennedy, Prince Charmings to a man in fact.
The trouble with Prince Charmings…
The trouble with Prince Charmings unfortunately is that they live on to become grumpy, overfed, complacent kings who at best make no difference to anyone or anything and at worst ruin their inheritance with their self-seeking mismanagement.
I think the day may come when we regret the passing of the ogre.
Seen it all before
What’s the betting that after all the uproar and mud slinging over the threatened cuts has had it’s day, Pugh and Co will announce things will not be quite so bad after all?
That due to their tremendous financial and political acumen, as well as the sheer democratic sweat of their highly intelligent brows they have managed to save something from the wreckage?
Perhaps one or two extra toilets left open, a branch library (in Ventnor?) remaining available, some extra funds for a care facility?
After which some will claim it’s all down to their barracking and some to the fact that the Tories are not so black after all.
And at the next local elections we’ll all either not bother, as usual, or dutifully vote conservative again.
Image: ingermaaike2 under CC BY 2.0
