Palin Smacks of Opportunism

A lot has been made in this country, largely in the wake of the Blair era, about the ascendancy of personality in politics. Countless bemoan the overt focus on teeth, hair and which songs are on our politician’s iPods, when what we should really be focusing on are the issues at hand such as Education, the Economy, etc. This, of course, has been brought into sharp relief by the public’s resounding disapproval of Westminster’s number foremost personality black-hole; one G. Brown.

Yet, look across the pond and you will find reassurance that British politics, by contrast, is not as shallow as we first thought. Nowhere in Britain today has a politician been selected almost exclusively on the basis of their background and religious beliefs. Nowhere has anyone been chosen for high office because they went to an average university and achieved a mediocre degree. Nowhere has a politician been plucked from obscurity purely to mirror the personal characteristics of potential swing voters.

All the above, of course, apply to Sarah Palin. McCain’s pick for running-mate has been chosen because she looks and sounds like the blue-collar workers he needs in order to occupy the White House. She has next to no experience, only recently acquired a passport, and, it seems, is embroiled in a number of potential pitfalls (namely Troopergate and the Alaskan Independence Party, to date). Does McCain really think this is a sensible choice for the person who will hold the “Football” should he come to an untimely end? It smacks of cynical opportunism, short-termism and, above all, personality politics.

The last decade of British politics was dominated by one of the most charismatic politicians of recent history. But it was not Blair’s “pretty straight kind of guy” act that one him three elections, but his ability to communicate with the public. The same is equally true for the appeal of Cameron and the floundering of Brown. Britain doesn’t demand personalities, but communicators, which is why everybody should relax a little about the state of politics in this country. Everybody except Gordon, that is.