‘Politicians are all the same.’ That was by far the most common response I got when out canvassing in previous general election, as far back as 2005 and 2010. Political apathy is certainly nothing new. However I feel that something has recently shifted again in the cosmos of popular attitudes to politics and politicians. It’s a shift that also encompasses views on the news media and ‘the establishment’ in general. For many people the upheaval around whether the Brexit vote would be honoured and then the pandemic didn’t just shake trust in those running the country it severed it completely. Nearly all politicians of all parties seemed to merge into a tyrannical pro lockdown and pro vaccine ‘uni party.’ Moreover they promoted supposed ‘facts’, such as everyone is at lethal risk from Covid and that the vaccines stopped transmission, that were provably false. There were times when we all heard politicians across the political spectrum spouting Covid propaganda much of which could be called fear porn and most of which was based on twisted half truths or outright lies. Yet it was those who piped up on social media to question any of it who were labelled the spreaders of ‘disinformation.’ As a result of putting in a freedom of information request to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport I found out that a few of my tweets had featured in their interdepartmental reports that illustrated trends in ‘potential Covid mis/disinformation narratives.’ It also appears that they monitored my Twitter account somewhat. Anyone who dared to publicly challenge the accepted narrative on lockdown and the Covid vaccine, or even just questioned whether sitting on a park bench would really kill someone, was liable to be censored or smeared. It certainly has increasingly felt like the world has become a place in which one can’t trust anyone in positions of power. It seems like anything and everything we once accepted without much thought is now open to question.
The most shocking thing from 2020 onwards was to prove that the public could be treated as prisoners in their own homes in a land that for a long time considered this could not happen. In the excellent article Romy makes an excellent point that the majority retreated back into a limited world away from tension, while a smaller number rampaged.
MSM, the Blob and Uniparty came of age.
I look to the individual politician. How did they perform? What were their moral choices?
Inside independents, smaller parties, new parties and even Uniparty there are good souls.
Personally I feel like the stakes have never been higher, but the choices before us have never been worse. This feels like a generation defining vote, but I don't believe any of the people in front of us deserve or have earned our trust. I have voted, I vote by post, and I think it's important to do so to claim that stake in your country. Others are free to disagree. But I really don't think any of the candidates are worthy of it.
I am fortunate that there are 2 candidates who do deserve votes because of their actions - not the actions of an MSM endorsed 'messaging campaign'. Perhaps other voters are not so fortunate.
The most shocking thing from 2020 onwards was to prove that the public could be treated as prisoners in their own homes in a land that for a long time considered this could not happen. In the excellent article Romy makes an excellent point that the majority retreated back into a limited world away from tension, while a smaller number rampaged.
MSM, the Blob and Uniparty came of age.
I look to the individual politician. How did they perform? What were their moral choices?
Inside independents, smaller parties, new parties and even Uniparty there are good souls.
These are the people who should gain votes.
Personally I feel like the stakes have never been higher, but the choices before us have never been worse. This feels like a generation defining vote, but I don't believe any of the people in front of us deserve or have earned our trust. I have voted, I vote by post, and I think it's important to do so to claim that stake in your country. Others are free to disagree. But I really don't think any of the candidates are worthy of it.
I am fortunate that there are 2 candidates who do deserve votes because of their actions - not the actions of an MSM endorsed 'messaging campaign'. Perhaps other voters are not so fortunate.