Who’s happy? Who cares?
February 21st, 2007 by Eoin
I was walking home the other night and saw the above poster on a billboard. Having seen it I felt the need to answer it - yes, out loud. I found myself telling said billboard that I didn’t want a political party that cared about my happiness but that I wanted one that would be prepared to make the tough decisions needed to make this country better. The kinds of decisions that generally lead to unhappiness in the direction of such a party.
Maybe it was because I was angry when I saw it? Maybe it’s because the advertisement is stupid?
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February 22nd, 2007 at 12:55 pm
If rhetoric, clutching at straws and rehashing other’s marketing plans and making a nuts of it were a political party it would be called Labour. Well meaning but not an idea between them. Kind of like the Green party really but without fashion going for them !
February 23rd, 2007 at 6:42 am
The advertising was deffinately stupid
February 23rd, 2007 at 9:45 am
It’s not a stupid ad. It’s actually quite good. Where’s Bif? I miss him… he wasn’t so mundane.
February 23rd, 2007 at 12:22 pm
Love to hear why you reckon it’s quite a good ad ‘Gary’.
February 23rd, 2007 at 1:01 pm
It’s a good ad because it grabs attention and provokes a response. It’s a pretty piss poor basis for a political manifesto but since when did that stop anyone in this country. Eoin’s idealism is admirable but, let’s face it, it isn’t very representative of the voting public as a whole…or the current shower would have been sunk without a trace a long time
February 23rd, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Bif - I agree, it did garner quite a bit of attention but surely there is a “desired” response, I’m guessing in this case it is votes…we shall see during the summer but I reckon it failed.
Gary - Post from an internet cafe next time to avoid Big Brother…and be a little less obvious perhaps !
Anybody - I have no particular affiliation but admire anybody who has the balls to make hard decisions and mix it up regardless of how unpopular they know it’s going to be ….in this respect Micheal Mc Dowell and Mary Harney get my vote ….at least they would if I was arsed voting…which is the real problem with this country..APATHY… mea culpa
February 23rd, 2007 at 3:47 pm
Rich, no one actually believes an ad campaign like that garners votes. It’s there to raise their profile, provoke discussion and keep them in the spotlight. Job done. Of course, it’s a little pointless keeping yourself in the spotlight if you keep making an arse of yourself. But, you never know, maybe they’re working on it.
I doubt Harney and McDowell are as fearless of public opinion as you give them credit for…I think they probably just serve a different master. And where you see a willingness to make unpopular decisions, some might see blinkered arrogance. plus, some unpopular decisions are unpopular for a bloody good reason.
Isn’t apathy more a symptom of the real problems?
February 23rd, 2007 at 4:57 pm
They must be bloody sizeable blinkers if thats the case, just don’t see it as arrogance myself, just people capable of making real decisions. I’m intrigued as to who you think their master maybe though ?
Personaly I think the apathy comes from successful consumer societies. An utterly evil and ultimately doomed model. Consumerism is the most potent opiate of the masses. Create an insatiable demand for ever shinier crap and you control and profit.
As an aside I find it demoralising that our leaders/politicians/stooges allow themselves to be used as (unwitting) tools in this machine. Don’t know what I’m talking about ? Take the motor industry. Each year stricter “safety” and “green” legislation is being used to sell more cars. There is nothing “green” about producing more and more and the safest car would be a rolling airbag that couldn’t travel more than fifteen miles per hour and must be replaced every 10 miles due to possible wear and tear degrading the outside of the bag. You would only be allowed to drive it at certain times in certain places but could specify various colours for a price to distinguish you from lesser drivers etc etc ……get my point?….perhaps not, I think I may have gone off the reservation here………………
By the way Bif, I don’t see how the Micheal and Mary show contributes to this which is why I’m interested in who you think is pulling their strings.
February 23rd, 2007 at 5:24 pm
Is this the fearless McDowell who was going to clamp down on casinos but changed his mind. Or was going to introduce cafebars but capitulated after pressure from certain special interests? That, I must say, is decision making at it’s finest.
To be honest I see little evidence that they serve any master but their own egos with the euro coming a close second.
If you can’t see the arrogance needed for Mary Harney lecturing people on health, then maybe it’s you’ve got the blinkers on.
February 23rd, 2007 at 5:34 pm
Blinkered no, not up to date with all the facts maybe. But I will forgive almost anything of anybody who takes on our lazy arsed self serving public servants. If you want to see real arrogance you should look there.
February 23rd, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Maybe I’m just not quite that forgiving. I’m not sure how comforting it will be to know the civil service has been whipped into shape when freedom of the press has been eroded away, access to bail has been restricted excessively and you have to travel to Dublin for any major medical problem.
February 23rd, 2007 at 6:04 pm
You say press, I say scumsucking sensationalist parasitic hacks. You say bail access, I say get out of jail free card. Oh and Dublin’s no problem for me so I’m alright. ……What’s that, tea time already, got to go !!
February 24th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Hello Rich,
I did post from a cafe. I would have posted from home if I had the net. I don’t really care. I’m not trying to hide my identity, with the all new bifsniff you now have to enter your address to comment. And yes, I do find it mundane and corporate….. alas all in the name of progress.
all the best,
Tim.