Saturday, April 24, 2010

Judging by appearances

Adverts for the Leaders Debates have been appearing in the press. One version uses three very cropped photographs of the protagonists, showing just the central part of each face.

Brown was clearly Brown (& tired) but I had to check carefully to decide which of the others was which – they do bear an amazing resemblance to each other in this degree of close up, without hair style or accessories to give us a clue. I eventually decided on the basis of the nose – Clegg’s is a bit more squashed. He really does, in full view, look like an endearing puppy – one who will grow up to be loyal & dependable, but inclined to let his exuberance get him into scrapes for now.
But what most took me aback was the very clear pain around David Cameron’s eyes. Is this brought on by the vanity of refusing to admit to the need for glasses, or, if it was taken during or just after the first debate, despair at realising they he may not after all be able to seal the deal for his party at the election. Well, I guess it is actually most likely to reflect his still raw grief at the loss of his son, which means that one cannot help but admire his determination to keep going.
And oh dear! He does have a very thin upper lip – never trust a man with one of those!

Yes, I know judging by appearances is an ism which makes me an ist of some sort, but that’s just the way things are