How Labour got a 36,000 majority
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December 18, 2014 at 3:02pm
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http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141213/timestalk/watch-contractors-love-the-countryside-more-than-environmentalists-sandro-chetcuti.548063
Sandro Chetcuti mar jitkellem…qed jibni villa f’xifer ta’ rdum. X’jaq tan-nies
It’s called ‘Penguin Effect’.
In this case, lemmings would be more appropriate.
Or rather, as used in market terms, herd instinct. It’s where one decides on another’s move without thinking.
I felt it during the last general election. People used to say: “Hemm bzonn bidla” influencing each other.
But alas, that ‘bidla’ has had its repercussions.
But why does it always seem to help Labour? I mean, even if I do put my partisan views aside, certainly a herd mentality would have ensured a wider majority in 1992?
Not mentioning 1987 since there was a significant element of fear, so the herd-effect would have been (probably, I was too young to understand) less significant.
But in 1992, the feeling was quite certainly that things are much better? Yet…in comparison to 2013, the victory was 1/3 significantly smaller.
[Daphne – The answer as to why it always helps Labour should be self-evident.]
http://youtu.be/QcE5aDTszrY
We can safely say that the billboard people and those in the public eye hailed Labour because they were promised the iced bun, which we have seen them getting. Because they wanted the iced bun it was in their interest to get others to believe in Labour and vote them in.
The question now is whether the herd mentality will shield the masses from the reality that while the few got hundreds of thousands of euros, everyone else got 58 cents a week and a couple hundred euros a year discount on electricity, if that.
Petrol overcharge alone eats these benefits away.
The toll on our peace of mind from all these secret dealings with dictators alone should have been a harsh wake up call.
What will the herd do next?
True, but this comes into play in any election.
With every election lost, a party adds in its arsenal five years of faults and errors of the opposing party to shout about at the following election.
In 2013, Labour had TWENTY-FIVE years of PN faults and errors to shout about, the biggest arsenal that any party in Maltese politics has had to fight with.
And of course, the bigger your arsenal, the better effect you’ll have on the herd.
I don’t think that any studies have ever been carried out to measure how big “the herd” is in any one country, but I’d guess that the Maltese one is substantial, probably much bigger than what is needed to sway results one way or the other.
The herd effect will obviously be bigger when critical commentary is absent – as in Malta.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141213/timestalk/watch-contractors-love-the-countryside-more-than-environmentalists-sandro-chetcuti.548063
Surely you mean plonking the idiots in the midst of a ‘discussion’. And that’s perpetuating myths to sustain the cultural divide.
Then Times of Malta will take offence if we denigrate their anodyne view of things. They’ve been at this ‘uglification of Malta for weeks now.
Malta is ugly, because its people love ugly. The Maltese do not expect beauty because it can hurt.
U ara ma jigix xi hadd jghidli ahrax jew gakbin.
Beauty was banished circa 1950. EU membership has changed nothing. The Maltese cannot create beauty because beauty is by definition non-egalitarian. That’s why we need a Right. And f*** Christian Democracy/Social Democracy/EPP. We need a RIGHT. The politics comes later. Get the aesthetic principles right first.
In other words, make up your fricking mind which civilisation you belong to. Because EU membership has changed absolutely nothing. Telaq il-Barrani, u ha mieghu l-Occident.
U ma jigix xi hadd jghidli snob jew radikali.
Yesterday, Alberto Stasi got 16 years for murdering his girlfriend, turns out in the most vicious manner; the state attorney had demanded life after fresh evidence was produced.
Legalistic procedure and in turn procedural paradox screwed everything.
It’s been defined in the press as a ‘sentenza democristiana’. Justice chose to save itself the embarrasment of evident failure.
I put it to you that the term “Christian Democracy” should be banished in Malta. Other countries can afford to use it because it developed as an organic part of their civilisation. So the word kept its real and intended meaning. In Malta, it doesn’t. It’s the same reason you wouldn’t call it a “Nationalist” party anywhere outside Malta.
Executive summary: I’m not suggesting the Nationalist Party change its name. It never will, alas. But it should refrain from its excessive familiarity with the words “Demokristjan” and “Partit popolari”. It’s Liberal Right or nothing.
A must-read – Thinking Fast and Slow by D Kahnemann.
The Crowd – Gustav Le Bon will introduce you to the mob, Freud’s “Group Pschology and Analysis of the Ego” was then fined tuned by his nephew Bernays who weaved in perspectives of Le Bon, Trotter, Freud, Lippmann and many others to produce what is still used today and known as public relations.
To go further, read Free Will by neoroscientist Sam Harris who can write in 10,000 words what it takes philosophers 400,000 words.
I think Labour exploited it fully with the “I’m IN” if I remember well!
Nothing new! In Maltese we call them “In-naghag ta’ Bendu”.
Labour got its 36,000 majority by segmenting the electorate into special-interest groups and promising, stroking egos, and generally making the right noises to each.
Irrespective of the fact that many of these groups were diametrically opposed, such as hunters, speculators and ‘enviromentalists’, far right wing loonies and LGBT or Muslim groups, the likes of Norman Lowell who advocated the culling of disabled children, and Philip Rizzo who shouted and screamed about how horrid GonziPN was to disabled children like his. Sliema Tal-Pepe and Mintoffian suldati tal-azzar.
All this compounded by the behaviour of total shits like Pullicino Orlando, Frankie Tabone, DalliBa and Mugliett.
Add to that the enormous war chest acquired by fair means or foul, and with a large number of traditionally Nationalist voters taking leave of their senses, and it was never going to be a close call.
They worked on the concept of audiences, broke them down, segmented them and targeted each of their primary wishes.
Transformed these wishes into the strategic aims of the party and its electoral manifesto.
They then identified the candidate star to represent each one of those groups and courted their egos. The billboards and “I’m in” came next.
Daphne, do you remember that video you had posted before the general election about that guy who started dancing alone and ended up with a crowd around him? I think it encapsulates what you’re saying exactly.
[Daphne – The ‘first follower’ thing.]
Labour played a good move with their “I’m In” t-shirts. It worked.
i think you would be amazed how many would now buy ‘I’m OUT’ T-shirts
They would buy them but not wear them.
They would be too scared.
Cowards.
A very worrying condition, this. Can you catch it from a toilet seat?
Although this study has merit, I always maintained that this herd instinct exists. It is so evident that it finds expression in the language we use, either Maltese or English. What is very relevant is that even a herd has a leader, and it is the persons who renounce their right to use their own mind, and follow others sheepishly, for any number of reasons, who find it more comfortable to follow the trend.
Genuinely good leaders should have the ability to identify the reasons for this state, and shake people out of such stupor.
Strategic marketing using neuro scientific marketing tools were surely used.
Think about it, we’ve all read and seen the marketing game being unfolded in front of us.
Then the Labour Opposition shouted about the lack of civil rights, the bad state of hospitals and of the prison, the many refugees, cancer BWSC, the 500 euro increase, Arriva and Enemalta corruption, instilling an image of a bad government. The staged cross-over by the three stooges to PL asserted this too.
Whilst in the meantime, a whole visual campaign emphasizing the possibility of a future better Utopia was unfolded. Green grass, blue sky and the national flag were all played ad nauseam. Videos with known actors and posh voices all played on this.
Not being IN was old-fashioned. PL became a ‘want’. Something like the latest iPhone or Nike.
The masses did not have a chance of escape. It was Joseph or nothing.
And now disillusionment is fast creeping in. The product offered is not what was sold.
No wonder freedom of speech is the first thing that gets attacked. If it wasn’t for this blog probably much of what has and is happening would not be noticed.
In Italian it is “l’effetto brancho”, the pack mentality, which is extremely dangerous.
The Italians description is better, as a herd is on the move but a pack attacks.
Preciz ghaliex ix-xjenza tal-komunikazjoni hija mibnika fuq dawn il-fatti.
Min juzahom jirbah bin-numri imam l-percezzjoni wara l-esperjenza personali tbiddel l-attitudni.
Mhux kollox huwa mitluj sakemm ma jghaddiex tul ta’ zmien ghax imbghad il-bidla issir ijtar profonda ghalkemm fuq superficjalita.
L-istorja tan-nagħaġ ta’ Bendu ilna nafuha. Xejn ġdid.
NAGĦAĠ
Smajtuha żgur il-ħrafa tan-nagħaġ ta’ Bendu. In-nagħaġ kollha, għax għandhom moħħ ta’ nagħaġ, imorru wara l-kibx (muntun) imur fejn imur, imqar jaqbżu warajh minn irdum għal isfel. Il-ħrafa hi karikatura tal-folla bla moħħ li tiġri wara mexxej li jaf jgħajjat, imqar ma jkun kapaċi għal xejn ħlief biex jgħajjat. Milli jidher l-istorja ma tgħoddx għal-lum biss, għax ħames mitt sena ilu Rabelais kiteb rakkont jixbah lil tagħna bin-nagħaġ jaqbżu l-baħar u jegħrqu. (par. 1)
L-istorja mimlija b’każi fejn eluf kbar u saħansitra miljuni ġrew lejn ir-rovina wara kibx imħeġġeġ, jekk mhux miġnun. Biżżejjed insemmu poplu sħiħ, kbir u qawwi, li tkeskes minn Hitler. (par. 2)
In-nagħaġ għadhom magħna. Narawhom f’meeting politiku. Il-kelliem iħambaq u jippriedka, x’aktarx b’leħen eżaltat, u l-folla tisma’. Kultant jgħolli leħnu nota jew tnejn, u l-folla tinfexx iċċapċap. Narawhom f’partita futbol, meta plejer jagħmel mossa provokanti, u eluf ta’ partitarji erħilhom jitmasħnu, jekk ukoll ma jmorrux jaħbtu għall-avversarji. (par. 3)
Illum ix-xjenza wrietna bil-provi li ebda bniedem ma hu kopja eżatta ta’ xi bniedem ieħor. “Kull bniedem hu uniku u irrepetibbli,” qal il-Papa. Il-marki ta’ subgħajja m’humiex il-marki ta’ xi wieħed jew waħda minnkom. Lanqas ma huma ta’ xi ħadd li għex qabli jew li għad irid jitwieled. U bħal truf subgħajja, moħħi u moħħkom huma uniċi. X’rigal, dan li tana Alla! U kemm ma nistmawhx kull meta nħallu lil ħaddieħor jiddeċiedi għalina. (par. 4)
Għeżież żgħażagħ, tkunux nagħaġ. Aħsbu b’moħħkom u imxu kif tgħidilkom il-kuxjenza. Taċċettawx b’għajnejn magħluqa kulma jgħidulkom. Tħallux il-moda tkaxkarkom. Emmnuni, jagħtini l-biki meta nara żgħażagħ fl-aħjar tagħhom jaħlu l-ħin, l-enerġija u l-flus biex, flok jistrieħu, imorru jqattgħu s-sigħat ta’ bil-lejl f’sala mudlama u mimlija duħħan, jixorbu, jekk ma jiħdux id-droga, u jiżgijjaw bħas-slavaġ tal-ġungla. (par. 5)
Ma rridx nagħmel priedki. Għandkom moħħkom, u għandkom il-kuxjenza li bla heda tgħidilkom x’inhu t-tajjeb u x’inhu l-ħażin. Jekk tridu, tafu tagħżlu t-triq dritta, dejqa kemm hi dejqa, li twassalkom għall-ġid li jibqa’ u jiġbed fuqkom ir-rispett ta’ kull ċittadin onest. (par. 6)
(addattament minn Nagħaġ ta’ Kilin, artiklu li deher fil-ħarġa ta’ Mejju 2001 tas-Sagħtar)