Poetry Thursday 47 - Change

 Labour Party's slogan for this general election is 'Change' - I wonder what that means? 

Change

 

Is this what Keir means in the interminable fuss,

of hustings and on the Labour battle bus?

 

In the dawn of July 4th, whispers of change arise,

A dance of seasons, a kaleidoscope of skies.

Leaves unfurl, petals bloom, parties shift their course,

change weaves its magic, an unseen, force.

 

Or is it to do with a move to clarity

after 14 years of dishonesty.

 

From caterpillar to butterfly, a metamorphosis unfolds,

Wings stretch wide, colours emerge, stories yet untold.

Mountains crumble, oceans surge, landscapes rearrange,

Change, the silent architect, shapes our world's range.

 

All very pretty and idealistic,

but with election promises, be realistic.

 

Embrace the flux, the ebb and flow, as blue turns into red,

for change is unknown canvas, where shades meet the dread of light,

in the tapestry of history, threads of truth will emerge,

Labour’s purpose, our existence, must change from dull to bright.

©David L Atkinson July 2024 

God Bless 

Writing - Brainwashing

 One of the principles in George Orwell's 1984 is to keep repeating information even if it's incorrect. Eventually, if people hear it often enough they will believe it is the truth. Seems to me that that is the Conservative Party's mantra for the public after 14 years of deception and dishonesty. This morning I witnessed James Cleverley the Kearns Home Secretary doing that very thing and hoping that people watching him on the news will believe that what he's saying is the truth. The fact of the matter is the Conservative Party is going to lose this election more because of their inability to be honest and straight with people rather than their policies and those policies have been divisive and elitist.

In the 1960s there was a tendency to believe that brainwashing was a thing used by villains and governments and was often used in stories and movies. Probably one of the most famous scenes of the time was The Ipcress File, which had actor Michael Caine put through what seemed to be an attempt to brainwash. 

Brainwashing, also known as mind control, menticide, coercive persuasion, thought control, thought reform, and forced re-education, is the concept that the human mind can be altered or controlled by psychological techniques. 

In short behaviour modification. In the film, sensory deprivation and hypnosis were the methods used to bring about behavioural change. 

The above film was released in 1965 but the concept of our precious brains being manipulated is very much a live issue. Nowadays, added to the above, is the incursion of AI into our lives and as with new technologies, the lack of consistent information and knowledge increases speculation and so the opportunity to stretch the imagination. Just do the research. 

God Bless