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5. The Joke
A huge lesson that this election has definitely reaffirmed is that the notion of an ‘intelligent voter’ is a rarity. The trouble runs deeper. It is not only the ‘intelligent’ voter who is conspicuous in his absence but also the ‘informed’ voter. It appears that nobody, or next to nobody, had any real clue about what kind of person is really needed to be effective in the European Parliament.
Readers and detractors may be forgiven if they read this with the “sour grape” meter because they believe that J’accuse is bitter about the lack of cross-votes or votes to AD. Far from it. The ‘ignorant’ (or if we want to sound less snobbish – the ‘fanatic’ vote) has continued to let itself be milked and nurtured and has spread as fast as a Californian wildfire.
The shepherds of the ignorant vote are the Great Duopoly that operates within a power structure of its making (unconsciously I would add) and thrives on the race to mediocrity. The stakes were unclear and the agenda and battleground were either hazy or irrelevant. And we revelled in it. This time round it was the PL’s turn to shout empty hoorays while the PN ‘shrewd’ analysts yelled “Ungrateful”.
The saddest part of it all is that the electorate voting on whims and fancies (and taste and flair and hurts and pains) are unwilling to use their vote to effectively obtain real change and send out a message. The joke, unfunny as it is, remained squarely on the shoulders of Joe Public.
And the only ones laughing are Simon Busuttil, David Casa, Louis Grech, Edward Scicluna, John Attard Montalto and (maybe not so much) Joseph (He ain’t heavy he’s my brother) Cuschieri.
The Haiku
universal vote
no cause for celebrating
when the joke’s on you
sophism
2. any false argument or fallacy. — sophister, n. — sophistic, adj.
