Opinion: The St George flags are up for the Euros but where are the political placards in residential streets?
Published: 12:59, 18 June 2024
Updated: 14:53, 02 July 2024
‘Why would you put a political poster outside your house? Why would you even tell people that.’
While my Generation Alpha tween wants nothing more than for us to string a giant St George’s flag from the front window in support of Southgate and the boys - a suggestion you could publicly display your political leanings was met with abject horror.
But with little over two weeks to go until the general election it made me realise that while England flags for the Euros are out in force, I’ve yet to see one home or residential street with an election sign or party placard in my corner of Kent.
Now there is one rather large ‘Vote’ poster - the root trigger for this family debate - not too far from us fixed high on a pole on the main road.
However the face of the candidate whose poster it is, has recently received an unfortunate marker pen makeover. And while I should spare the blushes of the poor soul with the new and unusual look I’d say the message has been lost somewhere between the comedy glasses and extreme facial hair.
There isn’t another poster for miles around - albeit anyone to have taken a look at this one may have felt the graffiti bandits are better left unprovoked.
Before Blair got elected in 1997, I remember numerous neighbours in our street banging huge ‘vote Labour’ signs into their gardens while just as many had red and yellow posters tacked to the inside of their newly double glazed windows.
So proud were people of their political views I can even recall a school teacher strolling the corridors with a scarlet red tie and fresh rose tucked into their button hole come polling day.
If they’d added to that a blatant ‘I heart Blair’ t-shirt below their blazer I’m still not sure we’d have so much as blinked.
Yet today people seem less inclined to publicly throw their support behind a party?
Perhaps politics has become too polarised?
No longer just fought over education or funding for the NHS - immigration, small boat crossings and the fallout from Brexit has left a sour taste in people’s mouths and no one wishes to publicly pin their colours to a placard?
Perhaps the debate has moved online because that’s where we all live now? And changing your social media profile picture to a photo of Rishi is the modern day equivalent of a Tory poster on your front lawn?
Or is it just becoming all too boring and beige and few people are engaged enough to want to make the effort?
Whether or not you were a Blair supporter - there was a buzz in the air when he and Cherie made their pitch for Downing Street and people appeared proud to be New Labour - or not.
Do today’s candidates evoke that same sense of political excitement that prompts people into pledging their allegiance for all the neighbours to see? I’m not sure.
By Thursday and England’s match against Denmark I may have given in to the nagging for a (small) England flag.
But like most others it seems, I’ll definitely leave confirming my support for the next government until I mark my cross on next month’s ballot paper.
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Lauren Abbott