In the terrifying world of election time, the major parties pump so much effort into mainlining their "message" to the (frequently indifferent) general public, it's hard for smaller parties to get a look in. This isn't always a bad thing, as in the case of the BNP political broadcast, a Freudian nightmare of 1930s style propaganda and distilled bile which I would pay a fortune to not have to witness again. The Greens have been a traditional target of elbow-jabbing sniggering mockery in every election campaign since their inception, so let's take a look at how they're being treated in good old 2010.
First up, the BBC sticks the knife in likening the political broadcast to a trail for a CBBC programme. Harsh words, though the rest of the article grudgingly admits it is something new amidst the buzzword bingo going on amidst other parties' offerings.
Next up, the Grauniad, with a surprisingly vitriolic and cynical view on the manifesto launch. As well as incorrectly stating that the Greens are a one-issue party (they never have been, having always had a full manifesto voted on by members at Conference, the same as any other party), the columnist insinuates that their policies are some kind of pie in the sky fantasy scrawled in green crayon.
The Telegraph gives a remarkably balanced view on the Green tactics of personalised emails and focusing on social networking. Despite some emotive and negative language slipping in occasionally, the article is pleasantly neutral in tone, and highlights the popularity in key constituencies such as Brighton Pavillion.
For you, dear reader, I have braved the Stygian depths of the Daily Mail to find their opinion on the matter. After my soul gradually dripped out of my ears from scanning over articles varying from criticising a celebrity for being "dowdy" whilst househunting to a repugnantly misogynistic piece of swill from witchfinder general Jan Moir, ostensibly discussing the leaders' wives. The bile rose too high for me to delve any further, I'm afraid.
The daily Express fares rather better, with several relevant articles popping up when I searched. Their review of the manifesto launch, in contrast to the Grauniad, is a fairly standard trotting out of facts and figures, with not a scrap of emotive language, chest thumping or derision. Colour this blogger immensely surprised.
Next, the aggressively brash The Sun website. The experience was like diving for pearls in an oil slick, and finding only abandoned shopping trolleys. A search turned up only three articles in 2010, and two of those were about Pete Doherty. Your guess is as good as mine.
I could probably find much, much more, but feel I have contributed quite enough to my high blood pressure for one day. Find a piece you think I should read? Leave a comment with the link below.
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