0A glimpse of summer camaraderie (Riah Shah via Pixabay)
With the announcement of a General Election being thrown into the mix of various other events happening this summer, such as the European Championships, Wimbledon, and Glastonbury music festival, it’s making the last minute nature of UK politics feel grossly unserious and disorganised.
This is something we have unfortunately had to get used to in recent years. It feels like we can’t go a day without a meme of Rishi Sunak’s blatant classism and awkward social skills (or the lack thereof) becoming a viral meme on TikTok, Instagram, and most other social media platforms.
The UK is well-known for it’s camaraderie during sporting events like the European Championships. The patriotism on display in pubs, bars, and anywhere with a public TV is palpable.
It’s the one time that the second most miserable nation on Earth comes together for the same cause- to support our sports stars. It is at times like this that the feelgood factor hits us and paired with the increased chance of warm weather, we are happier and carefree.
Politicians can tap into this mood change, using sport and patriotism to “rally the troops” and bring the nation together. Showing support and a joint interest in these major events should allow us as citizens to feel connected to the people who run our country.
Naturally, this doesn’t come easily to a certain Prime Minister as attempts have already been made to connect to the commoners and they have failed miserably.
“It’s the one time that the second most miserable nation on Earth comes together for the same cause- to support our sports stars.”
When campaigning in Wales, Sunak sat with a group of pub regulars and mentioned that come election day, they’d be enjoying the football. He failed to acknowledge that Wales have, in fact, not qualified for the European Championships.
It was an eye rolling, cringe-worthy moment for all of those who have seen the video which has, of course, gone viral on X and Instagram. It just goes to show that there is still too much of a divide between us as the citizens and the politicians in their ivory tower who couldn’t relate to our common people interests and issues.
Even in the Keir Starmer vs. Rishi Sunak debate that aired on ITV on June 4th, moderator Julie Etchingham shoe-horned in a question at the end of the debate that had come in from a certain Gareth Southgate about the best way to lead a team to victory, tying in football to politics.
It felt cheap, forced, and unserious and somehow, Sunak and Starmer managed to make football sound just about as boring as watching paint dry. Their monotonous answers were testament to their poor people skills, charisma and ability to connect cohesively to the Great British public.
“there is still too much of a divide between us as the citizens and the politicians in their ivory tower…“
In amongst a debate that covered the sensitive issues of NHS waiting times, immigration and the cost of living crisis, it was a silly way to end such an important discussion and the tongue-in-cheek nature didn’t land correctly.
Political parties are trying desperately to harness the impressionable nature of the public to achieve more support and the sad thing is, in many cases it will work.
As a nation, we have become rats listening for the pied piper of Downing Street. Whichever magic flute releases the dulcet tones of Three Lions is the one that many will pursue.
As online Arts and Literature Editor, Gracie is broadening the horizons of the section whilst abroad. Gracie has written a multitude of articles for Exeposé and has completed the Exeposé Rainbow certification.
A Summer Showdown?
With the announcement of a General Election being thrown into the mix of various other
events happening this summer, such as the European Championships, Wimbledon, and
Glastonbury music festival, it’s making the last minute nature of UK politics feel grossly
unserious and disorganised.
This is something we have unfortunately had to get used to in recent years. It feels like we
can’t go a day without a meme of Rishi Sunak’s blatant classism and awkward social skills
(or the lack thereof) becoming a viral meme on TikTok, Instagram, and most other social
media platforms.
The UK is well-known for it’s camaraderie during sporting events like the European
Championships. The patriotism on display in pubs, bars, and anywhere with a public TV is
palpable.
It’s the one time that the second most miserable nation on Earth comes together
for the same cause- to support our sports stars. It is at times like this that the feelgood factor
hits us and paired with the increased chance of warm weather, we are happier and carefree.
Politicians can tap into this mood change, using sport and patriotism to “rally the troops” and
bring the nation together. Showing support and a joint interest in these major events should
allow us as citizens to feel connected to the people who run our country.
Naturally, this doesn’t come easily to a certain Prime Minister as attempts have already been made to
connect to the commoners and they have failed miserably.
When campaigning in Wales, Sunak sat with a group of pub regulars and mentioned that
come election day, they’d be enjoying the football. He failed to acknowledge that Wales
have, in fact, not qualified for the European Championships.
It was an eye rolling, cringe-worthy moment for all of those who have seen the video which
has, of course, gone viral on X and Instagram. It just goes to show that there is still too much
of a divide between us as the citizens and the politicians in their ivory tower who couldn’t
relate to our common people interests and issues.
Even in the Keir Starmer vs. Rishi Sunak debate that aired on ITV on June 4th, moderator
Julie Etchingham shoe-horned in a question at the end of the debate that had come in from
a certain Gareth Southgate about the best way to lead a team to victory, tying in football to
politics.
It felt cheap, forced, and unserious and somehow, Sunak and Starmer managed to
make football sound just about as boring as watching paint dry. Their monotonous answers
were testament to their poor people skills, charisma and ability to connect cohesively to the
Great British public.
In amongst a debate that covered the sensitive issues of NHS waiting times, immigration and
the cost of living crisis, it was a silly way to end such an important discussion and the
tongue-in-cheek nature didn’t land correctly.
Political parties are trying desperately to harness the impressionable nature of the public to achieve
more support and the sad thing is, in many cases it will work.
As a nation, we have become rats listening for the pied piper of Downing Street. Whichever
magic flute releases the dulcet tones of Three Lions is the one that many will pursue.
Gracie Moore
As online Arts and Literature Editor, Gracie is broadening the horizons of the section whilst abroad. Gracie has written a multitude of articles for Exeposé and has completed the Exeposé Rainbow certification.
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