We’re only weeks into the election, and if you’re not
already tired of the same robotic slogan of “strong and stable leadership’, you
soon will be.
In the Guardian, it was highlighted the effect that these
repeated sound bites have on the voting public. Sure, you may believe that
hearing the same dull slogan time and time again is bad for the Tory campaign.
But, after hearing it a hundred times, “strong and stable leadership” will have
sunk in.
In the House of Commons, Jeremy Corbyn can try to be
different. He can try to win voters over by reading out real letters from real
people. Unfortunately, in the end, his efforts are futile. He knows that if he
wants the Labour party in power, he needs to adopt the approach of rolling out
these repetitive and tactical slogans too. Does “strong against the weak, weak
against the strong” ring any bells?
A year of political mayhem has left many people feeling too
exhausted to face another election. In fact, the last thing that anybody wants
to do is drag themselves to a polling station to vote again. If you think that
these slogans are shallow or that politicians sound like computers firing off
their ideas to supporting followers, that is no mistake. For the campaign
strategists, it isn’t about informing the electorate of policies and ideas. It
is about using a war of words to win at any means necessary.
Theresa May is avoiding live television debates that will
focus on policies, instead of catchphrases and one-liners, because her campaign
team think it is too risky. They want you to be bored. They want you to listen
to their slogans, rather than confronting their ideas.
It's time to look at the true facts and figures behind the
soundbites. Ask yourself: is stable leadership truly about promising you will
not be calling a snap election one week, and then doing the exact opposite the
next? Surely it would have been stronger not to have called an election at all?
It is tactical politics. Do not be fooled.
Jack Johnston
This Dull Election is No Mistake | Jack Johnston
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