At the time when the Soviet Union was interfering in South Africa’s domestic affairs, a joke poked fun at politicians’ buck-wagon expressions.

Speaking to a gathering crowd of African villagers in tedious political cliché a visiting uniformed Soviet Commissar earned constant applause.

The uniformed Soviet functionary told the natives that the land, Africa’s resources, its wealth were all theirs – and did not belong to the capitalists.

He told them that under Soviet rule there would be free food, education, healthcare, unemployment benefits, freedom of expression and so on.

If you’re a White European you have, of course, heard it all before and many times too. As the politician cum military man, he droned on and on the crown constantly chanted –

MAGUMBA! MAGUMBA!

He presumed the words were an expression of approval. Later when strolling he was confronted by an oxen’s calling card – a heap of bullshit lying in the middle of the trail.

‘Don’t step in the magumba,’ advised his companion.

One wonders when Europeans too will grow weary of politicians’ false promises, hypocrisies and deceits.

They talk the good fight. They have broken their covenant to serve the people and now, exposed as cheats and charlatans, they buy time with sanctimonious appeals. I imagine there to be a list of false platitudes from which politicians pick the one they feel most appropriate for the occasion.

Much the same can be said of the Armed Forces response when, with depressing regularity, a young British serviceman is shredded by an Afghan landmine or felled by a tribesman’s bullet.

‘Which banality can we use this week, Sergeant Kipling? Shall it be number eleven; he died serving the people of Afghanistan?’

‘No sir, that one was used for Infantryman Smith a few days ago. May I suggest you use Cliché 17: he died serving his country or No. 19 is rather splendid: he died happily doing what he always wanted to do? We haven’t used that one for a while.’

I was reminded of this when I read a newspaper correspondent’s remark on the ‘we’re all in this together’ inanity. He pointed out how many of the British government’s cabinet members; 23 of 29 was it; are millionaires.

The crumb of renewed glory was thrown to the mob last week. Britain will have a new aircraft carrier for, wait for it, 2030. Yes, you will indeed wait for it; 19 to 29 years if it is remembered that pie in the sky is invariably late like the trains and economic recovery. They never fail to disappoint.

Long before computers and other shipbuilding aids were to hand; when most transport was carried by Shire horses, Britain’s most illustrious warship, HMS Ark Royal, lost on November 14, 1941, was built in five years.

Now they call nineteen to twenty-nine years in building a fatally flawed aircraft carrier progress. Forgive me if I put my head in my hands and weep.

Platitudes do not have a shelf life; if I hear the term Dunkirk Spirit one more time, I swear I will scream.

It is called spin and has much in common with ‘Come into my parlour said the spider to the fly.’ This is why platitudes are called spin; they inveigle, they deceive, they buy time for inept politicians, their rat-like eyes peeking out from their bunkers.

Searching for a suitable quotation to underpin my point I had so many to choose from Socrates to the present. George Orwell, prophetic journalist spoke for us all: ‘Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable; and to give solidity to pure wind.’ It is what the Africans call ‘magumba.’

‘In many countries, the majority of people don’t go and cast their vote. So, I am asking you, how is this democracy then? Shortly, though, we’ll face a truly grave problem. Politicians will have disappointed people so much with their lying and stealing that the only ones to turn up for elections will be the candidates themselves.’ ~ Lech Walesa, Former Polish President. Born 1943. PLEASE SHARE OUR STORIES.

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