Tuesday 20 January 2009

Obama, our Scottish Hero

It's been over a week now since I last hit the New Post button, following Alan's powerful, if slightly vampish, rant in the last show about the blog.

But I couldn't hold back any longer, given this momentous day in history, when Barack "Oh Dear God Alex Salmond I Know I Have Scottish Roots So Please Get Over It Because I'd Prefer To Ignore It And No I Will Not Be Attending Your Pathetic Invite To The Scottish Homecoming Dinner And Support Your Fight For Independence Because I Have More Important Things To Do Like Buy A New Dog And Run A Country" Obama is anointed as The Chosen One, The Saviour Of Us All in Washington D.C. later on today.

OK, so that was a whole load of unnecessary capital letters, but if you were to take a casual glance at every TV channel and website the world over, you'd come to understand pretty quickly that the anointing of The Chosen One has been touted as quite a big deal, big enough to push news to one side for yet another day.

Now here's a thing though - I didn't vote for the man, and I'll tell you why:

I'm Scottish.

If I wasn't Scottish however, and instead I was a True Citizen of the Americas, don't get me wrong - I'm sure I would have voted for the man. Whilst I remember the spin and subsequent illegality from the Bush and Blair Administrations, and the spin and jazzily ignored failures of the Clinton Administration, I've still a little hope left inside me that the concept of 'Change' being plastered like a father's promise on every billboard from Hollywood to Holyrood on the back of The Chosen One's election, will actually come to bear fruit all around the world.

It's just that, my gut feeling is that over the coming years, some folks might have to calm the beans about the whole thing, that, as has happened since public relation politics were first created, vomited painfully from the stomachs of weasel elitists, at some point all the shiny gloss we're desperately pawing at might begin to flake off bit by bit, exposing underneath the life we've actually been living.

Either way, arrabest big fulla - here's hoping your tenure will change us all for the better.

And hey, I think all this talk of change is already starting to have an effect on my life. Just this morning I was watching on the news the preparations for the inauguration, all those thousands of happy people descending on the Mall with sloganised fervour in their eyes, and I thought to myself, 'I wonder if Everybody Loves Raymond's on the other channel?'.

Change indeed.