Mr Haw received 54 per cent of the votes cast by the public in the channel's political awards for 2007.Excellent.
Gen Sir Richard Dannatt, the head of the British Army, who embarrassed the Government by saying troops should be withdrawn from Iraq, came second with 18 per cent.
Tony Blair was backed by eight per cent and David Cameron by six per cent.
Like one tiny water molecule in a very large wave, my own small effort to encourage people to vote for Brian was entirely surplus to requirements.
The boy wonder's six percent really is quite astonishing. He polled even fewer votes than the stupendously unpopular Mr Blair.
When Cameron told Blair that "he was the future once" he was right. Now, of course, he's finished (although he appears not to have realised it). It's hard to even be interested in pointing out the absurdities of what he says any more. Proper enquiries into his behaviour during his time at Number 10, particularly with regard to Iraq, are what I'm waiting for now.
And yet, the boy wonder, as leader of the opposition to a government which is widely reviled, still doesn't seem to be the future.
(And the Lib Dems are not going any better either. They really need to up their game.)
We can safely assume that the result of the Channel 4 vote demonstrates the unprecedented levels of public dissatisfaction with politicians of all stripes which currently exists in this country. Rather than fighting over the scraps using the same methods (sometimes wrapped up in shiny new packaging), politicians should be attempting to rebuild confidence and genuinely re-engage with the badly disillusioned public.
The opportunity is there. People still care about politics; they just don't care for scheming politicians.
PS - "Guido" is a tool.
1 comment:
Not everyone shares your joy at Mr Haw's win.
According to Terence Blacker, in todays The Independent, Mr Haw's victory in this poll over the likes of Mr Blair and Mr Cameron, represents a step "towards a kind of fascism." in this glorious country of ours.
"As Haw celebrates his double triumph with an extra cup of tea from his thermos (somehow champagne seems unlikely to be his style), it is worth reflecting on this gloomy little insight into contemporary cynicism. Megaphone Man is now the hero; the trimming, compromising politicians in the House of Commons are the villains. It is protest which inspired the Channel 4 voters, not the boring, nuts-and-bolts business of government or of opposition. Passion, rather than thought, analysis or policy, was what mattered.
Doubtless those who voted for Haw would argue that he was brave but, in politics, those who show true courage are those who take decisions, who act, rather than shouting through a loud-hailer. Dissent may be uncomfortable in an intolerant age, but it is also relatively easy to protest. What is truly difficult, requiring brains as well as emotion, is working within politics, analysing a problem, taking steps to solve it, and then being prepared to take the consequences."
Invading Iraq then I take it represented a compromise between the two other possibilities of i) Nuking it until it glowed and ii) Diplomacy
Moderation in all things rules the minds of our lords and masters.
I look forward to the day when I'll see Mr Blair "take the consequences" of his decision, although I too, alas, suffer from the contemporary malaise of cynicism enough to not hold my breath while waiting for the arrival of his day of judgment.
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