European Elections 2024: The Rainbow of Masks
A tragicomic scene of empty promises
European Elections 2024: The Rainbow of Masks — AI Image by Author (Bing).
“jaṭilo muṇḍī luñjita keśaḥ kāśhāyānbara bahukṛta veśhaḥ | paśyannapi cha na paśyati mūḍhaḥ udara nimittaṃ bahukṛta veśhaḥ ‖ 15 ‖”
“With matted hair on his head, with his body covered in ashes and wearing garments made of tree bark, the fool undertakes many forms of penance and austerity. Though seeing, he does not see, the fool is engaged in the gratification of his belly and genitals. He is truly a great fool.”
(Adi Shankara — “Bhaja Govindam”)
This ancient verse by the Indian Vedanta philosopher Adi Shankara, who lived in the 9th century, rang with plastic truth as I witnessed the delirium of colours and forms of the rainbow of masks worn during the recent European election campaign. From June 6th to 9th, 360 million voters were blinded by the hypnotic glimmer of shimmering promises and catchy slogans waved by a kaleidoscope of political parties. One almost expected to see them rub a bit of chalk on their cheeks to make those masks more realistic.
Chaotic spectacle
It was a chaotic spectacle of election programs full of hot air, and yet we gullible ones were supposed to trust those polished and glittering words blindly. The bombastic rhetoric of certain candidates painted a continent on the brink of apocalypse, with their party as the only anchor of salvation. A staging worthy of Greek tragedy!
From one end of Europe to the other, parties of every colour and shape echoed the same assurances: they alone were the true champions of the workers, ready to guarantee protection and golden wages. But once elected, they promptly opened the doors everywhere to their true puppet masters: the unscrupulous lobbies of big business. Goodbye workers’ rights, better postpone them to a date to be determined.
Tears of anguish
And that carousel of parties that proclaimed themselves “Defenders of Mother Earth”? They wept copious tears of anguish for the climate in every corner of the continent, promising a radiant green and sustainable future. But once they had reassured the votes of the well-intentioned, they elegantly turned their backs, failing to keep their promises and instead pleasing the usual vultures of heavy industry. The environment can wait patiently, profit comes first.
Adi Shankara’s verse seems tailor-made for these modern “fools” spread like an epidemic throughout Europe:
“Though seeing, they do not see, being intent only on satisfying their interests.”
But how could I have deluded myself that they were sincerely promising the common good instead of pure party and personal gain?
Grotesque
During this grotesque campaign, I witnessed the squalid spectacle of multicoloured masks and lies at every turn, into which, alas, I once again fell like a naive beginner. Candidates pretended to be champions of the people, only to then reveal programs carefully crafted to suit the needs of the rich and powerful. Parties that promised epoch-making revolutions, but hid their true ambitions in a tangle of convoluted and ambiguous formulas.
I still laugh when I think back to the motley collection of factions that fought for the seats in Brussels. On the one hand, the usual nationalist right-wing parties erected themselves as a bulwark against the “invasion” of foreigners, with front-page slogans to scare the good people and push them to vote. But behind those grim facades, nothing more than miserable trifles are good for flushing out the votes of the most racist and reactionary.
Concessions
On the other hand, the congregation of “progressives” presented themselves as the quintessential green and workers-friendly vanguard. Fine words to wave under the nose of the well-intentioned public, but a few pages flipped and you’d discover that the program was a whirlwind of concessions to the friends of various lobbies. More than agents of radical change, they seemed like the usual guardians of the status quo.
And what about those formations that dared to call themselves “centrist” and moderate “reformers”? Behind those reassuring masks of fake doves, nothing but a hodgepodge of opposite extremisms, good only at cancelling each other out in a vortex of empty talk and inaction.
Faced with this delirium of multicoloured paper-mâché masks, all equally destined to crumble at the slightest analysis, how can one hope for real changes from this new generation of “modern fools” engaged only in filling their bellies with power? So many mellifluous nothings to win votes, but little real substance behind the glitter. I could only snort sardonically at such a tragicomic scene.
And…so?
So, when the time came to go to the polls between June 6 and 9, I had to force myself to look beyond the colourful allure of those scenographic facades. I scrutinized programs and records to uncover the real intentions hidden behind those chameleon-like masks. A vote blinded by empty promises is worth no more than a random cross, I realized.
The time has come to learn that millennial wisdom, judging with a critical eye and stinging irony the real intentions behind the multicoloured masks that now seem to bloom everywhere, rather than letting ourselves be duped again by the allures and the empty talk. Only in this way can the vote of 360 million Europeans finally “decide for us” instead of for other pale manoeuvres of reassuring lies and baubles.
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