Populism all across the board

The Danish vote for parliament is coming up and every politician in the country has suspended real work for a while in order to enjoy a few weeks of mock-faced mud slinging, promise-brokering, and void-eyed exchanges of superficial clichés.

You guessed it, I'm sick of it already. I'm not sure if my late years at uni rendered me too academic and philosophical on social and economic issues - but I really do feel that the discourse is shamefully ignorant and shallow. Even worse, I think it is ignorant and shallow intentionally. As if there is a contract between politicians, however far apart, to never dive deep into anything of substance.
Of course, the spin and media dilutions of political issues have always been there...but I really feel it is getting worse every year. I wonder if it's just me, getting old, losing my ideological innocence, becoming ever more cynical.

This year has been promising, though, since 'Ny Alliance' has arisen to kick some excitement into the melting pot. Usually we have 2 or 3 "circus parties", as I like to call them, in the Danish parliament. Generally represented on the wings, of course. The far lefties that wail about human degradation and want communism reinstated in a cleaner form, the far righties that wail about immigration and want to shut out the surrounding world as much as possible. Both sides weigh in heavily on certain popular groups - often the helpless destitutes and the easily spooked elderly citizens, respectively.

'Ny Alliance' rose from the middle ground, apparently claiming a group of voters that were either just tired of the traditional political landscape or needed to express their support for the current government but wishing to expel the far righties.
Usually, this would suit me fine. I'm not too distraught with the policies of the current government - not on the basic economical level anyway. I do feel there have been too many mistakes made, eg. the war in Iraq, the immigration policies, the priorities on specific social areas. However, the country has been doing fine - and virtually everyone (except maybe incapacitated destitutes and immigrants) have the opportunity of a job these days. Perhaps the most important thing of all.

But, however nicely 'Ny Alliance' may suit my general feelings on the political landscape, they just seem too smooth and calculating. The past couple of days were really bad. They seem to be catering to the most popular topics on both sides of the divide, gathering a nice bouquet to entice the voters with. It seems too glittery and "marketed". So, I am thinking of them increasingly as the third circus act of the election show.

I am also thinking of making my own party, something like The Reasoned People's Party. Main goal is to present accurate facts and figures. And insist on 5 minutes of answering time for each question on nationally transmitted debates.

Now, that would constitute Utopia.