Houlley
We can all make judgements about strategy and tactics to the point where it is difficult to distinguish the real from the manufactured.

If this was a strategy from the hollowmen it fell flat from the moment it was announced. Personally I think it was a desperation tactic in response to polls with little thought to the only inevitable response. If you are going to detract from one negative don't issue a statement that creates a worse negative.

Why not just be real from the beginning - we are all getting sick of media-driven policy.

The response is so inevitable I think it validates my claim.

Hey pelican I don't condone it. I just work within the reality. I'm all for luxuriating in our idiocracy. I've transcended any objections I once had to this media game.

I just wish polling companies would ring me more often as it's the closest thing to democracy we have. Those pollies jump and jive at every poll, so being called up by Galaxy is much better than voting. Only thing is you can only change the spin but not the policies whatever you do, so you might as well sit back and enjoy the entertainment.

Come'on, you chattering classes love all these games. Look at Foxy with her heroes and villains and simple slogans. I think those hollow men are underrated, what would we talk about on OLO if it weren't for the slapstick like this.

Then again maybe HasBeen can ask us all what our favourite colours are...

BTW: Have you seen 'The thick of it'. I think you'd like it.

Houellebecq,

I like the way you separate yourself from the milieu - "you chattering classes". However, I have to agree to a certain extent on the "slapstick" aspect. It is like a circus or carnival...all the fun of the fair, with the media as ringmaster.

Ah it's not so hard poirot. You yourself had separated from the milieu as you stated earlier, but then felt compelled to join in now the election is becoming much more fun. 'Every time I think I'm out, they pull me back in!'

What separates me is that I make no allusions about any earnest desire for the commentariat, the politicians or the electorate to rise above this game of spin. It's a wonderful tri-dependency, full of beautiful human frailty. A continuous spiral to the bottom devoid of authenticity, progress or ideal. The election campaign evokes images of a really fat bastard eating a tub of ice cream watching the biggest loser and laughing at the contestants. What could be more fulfilling.

BTW: 'you chattering classes' was as in... pelican, and pelican knows full well why I use chattering classes. She's a Chardonnay sipper from way back. An elite in an ivory tower!

So what do we call the Julia?

Julia 2.0?

Julia Lite?

Vintage Julia?

Original Julia (as opposed to: Hot and spicy Julia)?

Want fries with that?

I always favoured Baron Julia (Latin baro meaning "free [wo]man, or free warrior).

It has the 'red' connotations (hair and socialist past), it rhymes so well with Barren Julia, it's perfect!