I was planning to post about something else today, but then I heard this morning's interview with the Prime Minister. It struck me as both a great lesson in answer avoidance and a great example of the use of FUD.
I remember the whole Good Things and Dark Shadows approach to Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt, from being marketed to back in the last century. It used to be applied mainly to large-scale computer sales but has drifted across many other areas.
The prime incumbent's campaign has gone negative, resorting to slagging off the competition rather than extolling its own virtues. And, naturally, don't tell the electorate what to really expect after the results are in.
Perhaps it will be the betting shops that give the best view of outcome, although even they seem stumped by this one, judging by this summary extract.
In this social media era, politicians still use the air war of radio and television for their simplistic sound bites, along with tokenistic sponsor-paid visits to far-flung corners for their ground war missives.
The so-called direct social media experience seems to comprise mainly of requests for money to support campaigns, in some cases with the possibility to get into a raffle to win something or someone for a dinner.
Judging by the predictions for who will govern, there's still a good further week of news stories to follow as people start to haggle over the meaning of the words on Page 14 of the Cabinet Manual, produced by David Cameron and Gus O'Donnell.
I'll be voting tomorrow.
It is likely, of necessity, to be a tactical vote and I shall probably wear a Mickey Mouse tee shirt to the polling station.
Alternative tee-shirt serving suggestion?
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