the brilliantly leaping gazelle

I was watching BBC2’s ‘Newsnight’ yesterday and there’re was a discussion about the local election results, their impact on the parties strategy and the results might be indicative of voting behaviour on June 8^th. In the midst of all this they discussed Teresa May; more specifically how she was perceived by voters. One of the panelists, a presenter on a London talk radio station observed that a lot of his callers – regardless of their political affiliation – expressed admiration for Teresa May. Others, he added considered her strong, capable or a combination of all three.

But crucially, when asked to explain why they felt this way, they hadn’t a reason. It was more a feeling, an impression that they got. Another panelist then jumped in. He too had heard the same thing repeatedly on the doorstep. A feeling that she was somehow good without knowing why they thought it.

And then it struck me! Teresa May is copying the techniques first perfected by Harold Saxon, Doctor Who’s nemesis ‘The Master’, who finding himself on earth creates an identity for himself as Harold Saxon, an emerging political force. Bear with me. One way he does this is by launching the Archangel network of telecommunication satellites. Only there is embedded in the signal that every user gets is a subliminal message that he is good, he is to be trusted, that he is kind and so on. They don’t know why they think it, they just know he is.

Only he isn’t. And it’s only when it’s too late and becomes Prime Minister that people realise that.

But hey, ‘Doctor Who’ is only voguish science fiction, rooted in far-fetched implausibility populated with robotic villains who screech terrifying stock phrases repeatedly.

Yeah, only make believe.