UK :ELECTIONS FOLLOW THE CURVE OF EXASPERATION

Boris Johnson scored a great victory in the United Kingdom. Labour lost, deservedly. This Conservative wave should not hide the reality of the permanence of the many unsolved problems which besiege the UK. The Brexit issue remains a Gordian knot and the country's divisions stand in stark contrast with the P.M.'s wishful "hit and run" strategy.

Voters everywhere are exasperated. They seem anxious to turn the repetitive pages they are served. They vote more out of "lassitude", to get over it, than out of conviction. They just want a bad dream to go away.  Johnson, Trump, Orban, Netanjahu, i.a. share a common denominator. They are farceurs, matinee idols with a measured lifespan.

Public opinion is as unreliable as the competing political  programs in play. Mood swings are molded by innuendos and social media. Hence the rise of the comedian, the jester, the consultant of appearances. The political map no longer belongs to the statesman/woman, if he or she forgoes the thrill of the cheap shot or the demagogy of the jab. Johnson, who is a product of the elite schools and the establishment, did not hesitate to play I Love Lucy slapstick, which he handled with brio. The Trump guidebook to hearts and minds (of some) can make all the difference. Truth has been sent to the emergency room.

The coherence of message from former days will have to wait for a "come back". Even the impeachment debate in Congress falls victim to the tactics of the Republicans who resort to any form of derision and trivialization to deflect, deny or come up with a headline for Fox prime time. This reductive tactic works. It pushes the voter to forgo reality for ersatz, to abdicate intellectual or moral conviction ... Je vote donc j'oublie. Primal and tribal instincts beat choice. He or she who addresses the gut, wins.

This ruling disenchantment is dangerous since it has become an equalizer between opposite poles and ends up favoring rush over rationality. Between conviction and its alternative, the former wins as long as the story provides some form of euphoria for the masses.  From the rallies in the 1930's in Germany to the Trump meetings now, the technique doesn't change.

Trump descending his gilded escalator in his tower did not waste time, breaking all the rules of civility, letting the rot corrupt the political discourse. The gold was just mold, painted over.  He spoke about "American carnage" in his inaugural.  He implements it with relish.

Roland Barthes writes somewhere: "Tout d'un coup, il m'est devenu indifferent de ne pas etre moderne "...the message is clear.