Human beings are very irritating creatures! They tend to believe what the want to believe. Information that comes within their purview that conflicts with this tends to be discarded.
It is a FACT that in most properly constituted (and conducted) multi-choice/party election campaigns, the winner is the party/side that succeeds in motivating more of “their” supporters to the polling station than the losing party/side. This is EXACTLY what happened during the EU Referendum campaign in 2016! True, there were those thoughtful members of the public who started of being of one opinion (leave/remain) and during the course of the campaign, changed their mind. These people are however always in the minority! In addition, the advent of the internet and “online social media platforms” has led to a cantonisation, as it were, of the different groups of opinion. Those of one persuasion will go to their information/news sources whilst others of a different persuasion will go to theirs. These “bubbles” of mass opinion however are not universal. They only apply insofar as “political junkies” are concerned – in other words, people who regularly listen to BBC2’s “Newsnight” and similar. The mass of the voters rely on the brief coverage afforded them by such as the mainstream news bulletins at 6PM/6:30PM [BBC/ITV] and 10PM [BBC/ITV]. These newscasters will introduce another important influence: The opinion poll.
In our recent post (http://www.british-gazette.co.uk/2019/10/30/do-you-feel-lucky-well-do-ya-punk/), we drew the reader’s attention to another very irritating aspect of human behaviour – the tendency (for sound evolutionary reasons) to follow the pack, otherwise known as the herd instinct. It is a well known fact that grazing animals such as cattle and sheep possess this. It is also possessed by human beings! This is why opinion polls are SO influential: you see, there are many uncommitted, apolitical humans who will tend to vote for the candidate/party/side who looks set to win. Thus if the opinion polls put “Famous’s” Brexit Party and “Sidekick’s” Liberal Democrats far down the list then many voters will NOT vote for them as they are clearly not going to win! This intensely irritating FACT is a bane to any canvasser during an election for they will regularly come across members of the public who will remark; “I’m not going to vote for them/you as they/you aren’t going to win” – or similar.
Curiously, the two election images from the Brexit and Lib-Dem parties actually “hit the target” inasmuch as the correct claim in the top (Brexit Party) image can only be countered – insofar as bringing the process to an end – by the Liberal Democrats desire to stop Brexit by revoking Article 50. In other words, a vote for the two main parties will mean that the Brexit process will continue.
In the case of Labour, for another six months as Comrade Prime Minister Corbyn together with Comrade Foreign Secretary, Her Grace Emily, the Duchess of Thornberry, GCMP, [Dame Grand Comrade of the Most Self-Righteous Order of St Mary & St Peter of Islington & Finsbury] will sally forth to Brussels, negotiate a reopening of the Withdrawal Agreement (which probably will mean Madame Mayhem’s original WA!) and a revised non legally binding political declaration as to the intended future relationship. Since The Buffoon renegotiated the WA in a short space of time, putting back Madame’s WA (with a few tweks) should not present a problem. The EU will of course be most pleased to co-operate as Her Grace has already indicated that she will campaign against the new deal and advocate remaining in the EU!
In the case of the Tories, we can expect Brexit along the lines of the present WA and a series of negotiations and extensions. What will eventually be negotiated is anyone’s guess. The closer the future relationship is to existing EU membership, the less the short term negative economic impact will be. The one thing that can upset the Tories apple cart of course is “The Donald”!
IF “The Donald” decided to tweet or otherwise communicate an opinion along the lines of reforms to the NHS to assist US pharmaceutical companies make more profits – this could effectively sink the Tories general election campaign.
Therefore on this the first official day of the general election campaign it must be said that nobody call call this election!
Speaking the Truth unto the Nation
