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Political Theatre
And the oxygen of debate
We might presume that to talk of political theatre would be to discuss the realm of political discourse and power play. One would assume that it was a window into the realm of politics where politicians thrust and parry in order to legislate and where important decisions that fundamentally affect our lives are made.
If you compare UK and US elections you would not be wrong to believe the British consider them utilitarian and better gotten over with as quickly as possible. However if you watched Prime Minister’s Question Time, held every Wednesday in the Houses of Parliament, you would also observe that our politics is often more akin to a wrestling match than a debate.
This aside, the General Election is the clearest opportunity for the British to engage in genuine politics. That half of the electorate chose not to engage in the vote in 2024 is an indictment of the political system. Voters simply don’t take politicians seriously when it comes to affecting change and don’t trust the media when it comes to choosing who they should vote for.
Two recent media events illustrate for me how divorced from reality both British and American politicians have become. Yes, they make political decisions and affect political policy yet their rhetoric bears little resemblance to the facts on the ground. My…
