Of all the animals of prey, man is the only sociable one.
Every one of us preys upon his neighbour, and yet we herd together.
The Beggar's Opera: John Gay

Saturday 10 April 2010

Election fatigue - Wake me up when it's over

I've tried - really I have. The approaching election should provide an abundance of material for political comment, yet I just can't summon up the enthusiasm. So here's a song instead. And to keep Mark Wadsworth happy, there's even a gear change or two.



It’s not a mystery, we know we want it;
So much depending and relying on it,
So why on earth should I be feeling nothing,
Wishing it were through?
And I can’t bear this Press pandemonium;
On May the seventh it’ll all be over.
People will vote as they intended to anyway;
Nothing, nothing anyone can do.

We’re in the run-up to a general election,
Each side points out the other’s imperfections,
But all they do to get their message through sounds like so much guff to me.
Recall election night anticipation?
This is more like waiting for an operation;
Will the offending growths be removed
To leave us trouble free?
I’ve just had enough, enough, enough,
I’ve just had enough.
I’ve just had enough, enough, enough,
I’ve just had enough.

Excitement levels couldn’t get much lower;
The whole damn business makes your heart beat slower.
It’s a long time since there’s been any pleasure
Reading Britain’s news.
They’ve all got plans, your future is safe with them,
It’s the same story over and over;
It’s enough to make you want to hide away
Which one’s lying? Could we really care less?

So in the run-up to a general election
I groan and throw away the Politics section;
I’ve heard it all already; there’s no innovation, instead just constant irritation.
And as the juggernaut is set in motion
I start to entertain the dismal notion
It’s too much bother, you won’t win me over
There’s no more left to say;
I’ve just had enough, enough, enough,
I’ve just had enough
Of mock sincerity and fake emotion
Yellow, red or blue.

So here we are, stuck in the run-up to a general election,
Hoping everything will take a new direction,
Or is it all lies...
(ad lib)

2 comments:

  1. You too? Having witnessed all the elections since 1945 this one is now bidding to be the worst ever.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Demetrius, I'm sure the Germans must have some sort of portmanteau word for the phenomenon.

    Viewed through the prism of the expenses scandal and with a healthy dose of cynicism, we're in the process of exchanging one unaccountable bunch of power-hungry, self-righteous manipulative scroungers with another. Somehow that doesn't really fire the enthusiasm even when it's necessary.

    As Mark Twain said, 'Politicians and diapers should be changed often and for the same reason'.

    ReplyDelete

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