This does indeed have all the hallmarks of a distraction. But then, the politicians have long mastered the art of misdirection and are past masters at distracting their audiences. Throw the public a bone, or a red herring, or whatever analogy you care to use, and they will leap upon it, losing sight of the original excitement.
Usually applied to the "art" of magic, the discussion on "misdirection" looks eerily familiar:
Misdirection takes advantage of the limits of the human mind in order to give the wrong picture and memory. The mind of a typical audience member can only concentrate on one thing at a time. The magician uses this to manipulate the audience's ideas, or, perceptions of sensory input, leading them to draw false conclusions.The sadness is that we fall for it, accepting the politicians' agendas, and taking them seriously. I have already seen half a dozen e-mails today, advertising earnest debates on alchohol pricing. Not one has seen May's "initiative" for what it is.
However, in this case, the accuser is Yvette Cooper, shadow home secretary. And who will lister to her, or give her the time of day? Most will simply buy into the agenda, as they always do. Gullible to the last, that is why we are so easy to govern.
COMMENT THREAD
