Free-D

Although my mother always said that one should never talk about politics when abroad; during a general election campaign it seems rather a waste not to mention this most ticklish of subjects.  The first thing one notices about both sides of the political spectrum (if you can call two colours a spectrum) is their similarity to those of England; which are in turn of course strikingly similar to each other. How one is supposed to decide who to vote for is beyond me – considering that all we have to go on are sound bites and platitudes. Perhaps it’s just my poor Spanish, but don’t the slogans, “clear ideas” and “we’re more” tell us absolutely nothing?  During Salamanca’s wild days politics used to be really dangerous. Indeed, at the end of the 14th century the monarchy  had to try to bring the city under control, replacing the city’s mayors with “corregidores” (mostly local nobility); who in turn caused as many problems as they solved. Personal stakes in politics were much higher, and political tools a deal sharper. They may have been dark days, but wouldn’t you almost prefer politicians bumping each other off than this lily livered name calling that’s going on? The most galling thing of all is that, in England at least, if you tell somebody you’re not voting they treat you like a criminal – as if you’re to blame for the fact that not a man jack of them is worth a farthing! I believe that scepticism is a healthy outlook to have in life: so it was with a heavy heart that I received my young English pupils this week – all chanting the PP’s latest slogan. Naturally, it’s against every pedagogical principle to politically sway one’s charges, so I simply told them that “the worse thing you can do in life is trust a politician”. Doubt is the only thing you can ever teach without a qualm. Later that day it seemed that half the city was caught in traffic behind a PSOE publicity van, blaring out “Reasons to believe, vote PSOE” about a hundred times before a good dozen of us tried to pull out of the queue and find another route home. You might say “the masses get the government they deserve”, but surely very few of us get the political campaigns we deserve. Not voting is considered social heresy in England – well, it’s frowned upon let’s say. But that’s a nice political turn of the tables isn’t it? The final touch of insult to injury: it’s not enough to be sold out in one way or another by politicians, one then has to be treated like a naughty child when refusing to take part in the charade. The deepest, bitterest secret of sceptics is that what they want, more than anything, is to believe; please, somebody, give us a reason to.