Now, reading papers with opposing political views, I realise how the same piece of news can read very differently. As an example, the Institute of Fiscal Studies has published an analysis of the monetary effects of the political parties' manifestos and the reports vary considerably. The headline in the Telegraph was that 'Ed Miliband would leave Britain with £90bn more debt than the Tories if he were to win, and would raise taxes by £12bn'. The Guardian headline was that 'the Tories would have a black hole of £30bn'. The details of the study were given in both papers, but the slant was very different and emphasised the clear political leanings of the papers. There's nothing new in this and the Sun once famously changed allegiance and then claimed to have won the election for Labour. People can certainly be influenced by what they read and the press has the power to persuade.
It's estimated, though, that close to 90% of voters rarely change their support for a political party in a General Election, so only about 10%, who are floating voters, make a last-minute decision, possibly after reading the papers. The propaganda in them, therefore, is specifically targeted at this minority as the faithful followers have already decided. The success or failure of a party in an election will lie in the hands of those few voters who waiver and it’s hoped that a drip feed of information - or misinformation - will help guide them towards their decision.
As the election approaches, claims by the various parties involved become more and more outrageous. The ruling party promises ever-more success and new efforts to achieve those pledges. Why they haven't already carried these out is not explained. The opposition promises changes for a better future and ignores that either as a previous ruling party they failed to do accomplish that, or as a hopeful newbie they won't have the opportunity to do so.
Come 9th May, the results will be declared and a new government, possibly a coalition, will be formed. Politicians, of whichever colour, will start ruling with good intentions and then find that we, the public, aren’t always in agreement. We have different problems, desires and priorities and may disagree with much that is proposed, especially if it's proposed by a party that we didn't vote for. In five years the process will be repeated and the media will, once again, step into overdrive with their claims. If I sound cynical, it's because I am; it's enough to make me X!