Tuesday, April 03, 2007

INSIDE POLITICS - THE REAL BERTIE




This is a great example of the clever push-pump video propaganda that is beginning to do the rounds. This one's effectiveness is based on a Dolly Parton track; the predictable images (if you're attacking Fianna Fail you always need to include a mugshot of Martin Cullen) plus the very 'glic' use of superimposed text.

One of the assertions made in the course of a video is very interesting. I have been intrigued by the Fianna Fail posters that have cropped up everywhere in the past week. They show Bertie Ahern talking to elderly couples and to young couples - they include the line: 'Let's take the next step forwards'.

Some of the posters have bathed The Bert in a silvery almost angelic light and they look like one of the utopian pictures that the likes of the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses tend to use. What the video is suggesting is that Bertie's figure has been dropped into the image by the magic of Adope PhotoShop. I don't think that's true for the one with younger people above but it does kind of look like that for one or two of the others.

So, it is true. He is a heavenly creature that only appears by appartition.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I have to pass on this from the IrishElection guys. There is even a hint of the Simpsons about it.

http://www.irishelection.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/nextsteps.jpg

Harry McGee said...

That's true. Cartoonish in image and deed!

green_steve said...

Another political video worth checking out - the mighty Karl Rove doing what no politician should ever do: http://distractme.spaces.live.com/blog/.

I guess the greatest likelihood/danger over here is seeing Enda Kenny appear on Celebrity Jigs and Reels (oh, the humanity!).

Harry McGee said...

Ta for that. Amazing! I saw (still) photos in newspapers about Karl Rove's performance but you have to watch the video to experience the moment for yourself.