Election Fever

I know that it is very remiss of me, but I haven't yet acknowledged the fact that a general election has been called. In large part that's down to the fact that I didn't want to contribute to the level of media election overkill that we've been subjected to since it was made official on Tuesday. However, as I found out today, you just can't escape the bloody thing. Being off work this week, (did I mention that I was off - well, I have been since last Wednesday), I decided to get out and about and enjoy the Spring sunshine. The trouble was that no matter where I went, no matter how remote the spot, there seemed to be bloody huge 'Vote Conservative' posters up everywhere. I drove past a spot I had intended to eat my lunch at due to the presence of such an eyesore affixed to a fence. I can only assume that it is one of the local landowners abusing their obscene affluence to try and influence the election by sticking these posters p everywhere. No doubt their forelock-tugging minimum wage employees will all dutifully vote Tory, under threat of eviction from their hovels. Talk about turkeys voting for Christmas.

Anyway, I see that, only a couple of days into the campaign, we've reached the point of celebrity supporters being wheeled out. Well, by the Tories, at least, who today unveiled veteran film star and class traitor Sir Michael Caine as a supporter. I'm guessing that they're trying to demonstrate how even working class types who would traditionally be expected to vote Labour, now support posh boy Cameron. In reality, the message it sends is that once they get vast amounts of money for doing non-work, (let's be honest, acting doesn't really compare with nursing, say, as a high pressure occupation making a vital social contribution), many members of the working class become corrupted by their wealth and decide they want to pull the ladder up. Why should they pay taxes and make any contribution to the welfare of the less fortunate, upon whose labour their success has been built? No, celebrity endorsements are a dangerous thing in politics - for both the party and the celebrity. It can alienate fans who vote the other way to their idol, and can bring the wrong image to the party. Indeed, the fact that Danny Dyer is apparently a Labour supporter is enough to make me rethink my socialist values. Luckily, like the overwhelming majority of voters, I don't base my voting intentions upon which celebrity supports which party.