Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Somewhere to run to, somewhere to hide!

Fifty five days, that's the amount of time we're expected to spend deliberating the merits of our federal electoral candidates. They'll knock on our doors, phone us in polls, asking for our vote as we weigh their pros and their cons.

8 weeks less a day, which includes time off for Christmas as promised by all. Though one wonders just how good they'll be at keeping to that promise, whenever self interest is at stake, politicians can be expected to bend a few promises and what screams out self interest more than an election.

Our televisions will be filled with those glad tidings of joy of the season and the dour demonizing of the negative ads all in the same block of advertising time, one part Santa, one part Satan depending on when you click the channel on and who you're viewing at the time.

It will be an all inclusive blitz of media information, talk shows on the radio will be filled with electoral rhetoric, television shows with the latest miscues or the latest data on who is ahead of the pack and where. The newspaper columnists will sharpen their sticks and prepare to prick those balloons of pomposity, that tend to be puffed up in any campaign. And of course our own blogsphere will be a new tool for information delivery, everyone has an opinion and you can find one to agree with, or one that you find reprehensible all with the click of a mouse.

Fifty Five days, it's enough to make your head swim with a jumble of facts, figures and personalities. Crowding you doors, your television shows your daily newspaper!

Where, oh where can we go to hide?

Well, as a public service the National Post delivered word of an island of sanctuary for Canadians fearful of their politicians. Just go shopping says the Post, indeed it seems that many privately owned Shopping center's in Canada have a no politics order for their properties. Which means that once you open those doors to the mall, the politicians can't chat you up, hand you a pamphlet nor pound a lawn sign into your hands.

The mall is a no go zone for politicians, left to cool their heels in a Canadian winter, as you wander at leisure in the climate controlled artificial universe of the shopping Mecca. Already a crowded place at Christmas, the mall may soon be bursting at the seams, as Canadians seek out some peace and quiet in the midst of the Christmas throngs.

Shopping, it's good for the economy and as it turns out will be good for your sanity as well!

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