X is for Art

Finally Polling Day has arrived. It is an election where lying appears to be de rigeur with the leader of the Conservative Party repeatedly called out for it and 88% of its Facebook adverts judged to be erroneous. Purely for the sake of my sanity, I confess that I have tried to ignore, so far as possible, the ongoing hype over the political debate. However, when Fridgegate, Floorgate and Punchgate dominate the airwaves, it is difficult not to get drawn into  the unreality of knowing that I have a big decision to make with the fate of the country hardly resting on my solitary X on a ballot paper in a safe Conservative seat.

With responsibility comes the need to consider and reflect (some might call it dithering). Even if all of those Labour ads have been regarded as essentially true, what about the rest of the noise?

It has hardly been an inspiring election campaign. When the party favoured by the wealthy and privileged lies about lying and blames others for its deeply destructive and divisive policies, I know I can't betray the habit of a lifetime and vote for it, but still I must worry about the future of the country and the polls that show it set for victory. 

The main opposition rants so much, it makes me feel somehow unworthy and guilty for identifying with the many and unjustifiably fearful that it views me as the few. I know that despite my great urge for a fairer, more equal society, this is a party that has failed to provide an effective stance on Brexit, which is of course still the key issue of the day and the reason for the election.

Living where I do, I could cast my vote for the Yorkshire Party. After all if Scotland, Wales and Ireland can have devolved powers, why not my own region? But then I consider the local councillor who changed parties to join up from UKIP and I realise that whilst they may claim to be social democrats, any form of nationalism can suffer from populist undertones and what if it made the big jump to independence? I'd be crossing the border just to go to the gym and that certainly puts the Northern Ireland border issues into context.

Next there's a Brexit Party member posing as an independent who dismisses environmental issues by stating simply that he likes to eat meat and travel. Or, what about the LibDem still tainted by the toxicity of a coalition with the Tories and its u-turn on student tuition fees? Finally there is a Green candidate with his devastating images of a post-apocalyptic world, designed surely to cause me untold anxiety.

Yes it has been a campaign of negativity and personal smears and attacks. Where are those unicorns when you want them? It's not tax perks or compensation for the loss of my state pension rights that I'm looking for but rather the assurance of a decent, properly funded, fair society, where everyone is respected. That is not a picture achieved by any of the candidates behaving shiftily, constantly deriding opponents, tolerating or even promulgating racism. If only the facts could be presented honestly, so that I don't have to work my way through the spin and fake news.

Yesterday I sought solace in art with a longstanding friend. We visited an exhibition entitled Slow Art in Leeds Art Gallery where pausing and taking our time, the content of the pictures gradually revealed themselves. Then we moved on to The Tetley where we experienced Untitled, a complex mix of old and new work including copies and forgeries as well as unintended relations that we sought to untangle.

Whilst art is often perceived as producing pieces of beauty, contemporary art is more often judged by its  raw honesty and powerful impact. Political policies and campaigns, rather than dumbed down slogans, should have the same effect. My day out helped me realise that I need to put that X against the box of a candidate for a party that can inspire and on which I can rely to deliver. I have until 10pm to decide who that will be. Does anyone know if Banksy is standing?