Posted on 12-6-2003

Political Flavours 99% Fact Free
by Alan Marston

Communitarianism. A big word which politicians will soon be associating with motherhood, steak pie, oh yes, and democracy. The spin associated with the next big thing in politics, whatever the words, will revolve real fast and will be applied thickly over the `mass media'. Your head will spin, your stomach will curdle and you'll have to lie down. Mission accomplished.

As we breath `left-centre' political parties of the Anglo-Saxon sphere are I believe plotting (no other word will suffice) as to what the new shop-front will be for their respective parties. The shop-front is as important for politicians as it is for any salesman. Actually its more important because it not only has to draw in the unwary, like any advertising, it must also narcotize the voter immediately on entry and thereby prevent awkward questions as to the hum coming from the basement. Where, if the voter were to follow their ears downstairs, they would find the ancient machinery of capital running smoothly in accordance with a production plan quite contrary to that portrayed on the street.

Recently there are signs that the old neo-liberal frontage is not drawing people in, worse its stupeferous affects are wearing off and people are starting to hear the hum. `We're bringing democracy to the world' is so blatantly out of step with life on the streets that a new political campaign with new words and new sensations appears to be needed with varying degrees of urgency. The lead time for a new political manifesto varies from code red in the UK through code orange in Australia, code pink in New Zealand to code blue in the USA. I think the USA code should be at least orange, but then nobody listens to what I think and the USA doesn't listen to what anybody thinks... which is why it should be code orange. Sigh.

Prediction, the next batch of political manifestos from the code red and orange zones will have a brand new flavour called communitarian, full of tasty pink `empowering communities' and purple `revitalised democracies' in a 99% fact free smooth creamy base of law & order, jobs and lower taxes. I feel sick already, but I'm determined to resist the temptation to lie down.