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From: Mebby Oncurlew Category: Art Date: 01 November 2008 Time: 11:45 AM Review: A very good point that is somewhat overlooked here in the UK of A , the role of the politician has changed, much like everything else. Many details have applied undeniable influence, among them, scenario's like the chameleon Blair's wretched dalliance with "world politics" but I think the over riding influence on this perceived change in the role of the politician is the rapid use and development of Semantics, a bit of a cliché but nonetheless unfashionably heartfelt extending "style over content". Blairs big U turn was fairly apparent in hindsight, shortly after his promise to rough up the two tier house system in Westminster, his parishoners were lulled into a silent awe, waiting for the illogical actions to be corrected despite personal misgivings. Things just got worse and worse as he ran across the pristine carpets of middle class gullibility in his mud caked jack boots. When VHS home video recorders became popular household gadgets, rewinding recordings of programs hitherto attendant upon scheduled screenings, the notion of rewinding became infused into our common psyche, we collectively forgave former mistakes or perceptions of being below a certain standard because we could rewind our lives and re record over the tape, and applied these concepts like many innovations, into our lives in the most ingenious, often surprising ways. Mark Wallingers video; Angel represents (for me) the must extraordinary use of the rewind button. Wether these sudden lapses of fantasy should affect our vote to the degree that we always vote for fascists because they are as bad as it can get is a simplistic assertion, but we should know that the concept of Utopia is only ever a promise that can never be fulfilled. Much depends on wether the intending voter considers fascism (veiled or otherwise) to be the touchstone, the authentic political model or wether they consider socialism to be the base model. Both, or either apparently exist in Democracy, is it just me or has the word democracy collected a whole new lexicography for itself ? The need to protect "democracy" from the so called terrorists that "democracy" has created, for just one contradictory example. Such are the range of meanings and potency in this question, I could fortell the stoney faced reception in those who might read these lines as I wrote them. Democracy, we'll assume, almost completely ran out of money recently and now seems to have forgotten how money is created, Is it through work?, What do we need to produce?, Who can buy this stuff? I"m not entirely sure but I think thats less of a fiscal problem and more of a semantic quandary, within the semantic spiel theres this awful cliché about offering choice first and quality second even for stuff like the ice caps melting, even then, theres a focus group completely divorced from anyone or anything that might be truly effected by their decisions, so we never really deal with actual problems , we pass them on after getting depressed. Like you, I forsee problems with contemporary politics, I like Barak Obama he appeals to me but I liked him already, I dislike everything John McCane and Sarah Palin represent, I often wonder if I have convinced myself that democracy is this complete facade, or that there is genuine surprise when someone performs an horrific act of self destruction just to avenge their inhumane oppressors, can they seriously be surprised when this imperial nonsense just keeps on being reinvented ? I know that if I probe into the surface of politics I will only be depressed, and if I go to deep I could be either locked in a cell or locked into a psychotic conspiracy theory, either loses appeal as the years roll by. Today the Army were complaining that their Land Rovers were'nt bomb proof, who do you complain to? The Quarter Masters?, The Politicians ? or the ones lobbing the bombs? I assumed that Gordon Brown was going to end all this "style led", flashy lying and misrepresenting facts behind a wide toothy smile but, after consideration the only way to do that would be to counter with an even more sensationalist approach and David Cameron has burnt his signet ring finger trying to be the new Blair with scant returns thus far.