I think it was former premier of the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev who once said that politicians are the same all over the world: “They promise to build a bridge even when there is no river.”

We have all heard about the empty promises and in some cases the downright lies; we have been in the crossfire of the mud-slinging and maybe even slung some ourselves, but simply nothing else reeks of manure than the billboards that are routinely put up before every single election to remind us precisely why at this point we probably shouldn’t even bother taking the short walk (or limousine ride) to the voting booth.

Cake, figolli and car giving aside, nothing smacks of emotional blackmail like the billboard. Large and looming at almost every crossroad, we cannot help but study them while we wait in the endless traffic jams which one official told us were merely a perception (obviously not around election time).

I realise that they are all little pieces of the same large puzzle but in the name of all that is good in the world, do they have to be so horribly out of touch, misdirected and well, sloppy?

We have all heard about the empty promises and in some cases the downright lies but simply nothing else reeks of manure than the billboards that are routinely put up before every single election

When the first election billboards went up, I thought the country couldn’t do worse than an embarrassingly obvious spelling mistake (this is why you should always hire a content writer or proofreader, folks!), but as time progressed, things have gotten more and more out of hand to such an extent that I’m starting to think that people are having billboard discussion meetings after a couple of cheap trays of shots from Bellini Bar.

I can just about tolerate the cheap, petty, playground jabs at each other but when you start chucking around abortion and cancer wantonly with zero regard to what you are implying or inferring, it truly makes me wonder whether some parties are actively seeking political suicide.

When you stand in front of a nation, slap a mother and child on a poster and state that you want to end cancer, you are not only promising things that you cannot deliver but you are literally providing false hope or sheer insult to thousands of people. No political party can or should feel comfortable claiming that they will eradicate cancer.

Not only is it roundly untrue, but in addition to this, it is almost implying that the other side does not care about people being cured. This kind of blatant insensitivity and irresponsible, false message-mongering needs to end.

These types of disgustingly puerile games may have worked 30 years ago but only serve to alienate now; it is time we grew up and fast.

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