That is the hidden truth that this Facebook group is trying to dodge. Instead they want you to make a link between Rage Against The Machine and Liberal Democrats. And I cannot help but think this is both the most brilliant piece of Lib Dem campaigning I have seen yet, and the most terrible. The parallel between voting Lib Dem and buying that Rage Against The Machine record are not as wild as one might think. Even on a glib level there is a sheer parallel between trying to topple the done deal of X Factor Christmas number ones and the done deal of a Labour/Tory victory. OK, we aren’t going to see Nick Clegg saying fuck five time on Radio 5 Live, but if Nicky Campbell can reveal his own true name on the radio anything can happen.
If anything characterised the Rage Against The Machine campaign it was its genuine goodnaturedness from the central organisers. Sure it attracted a lot of anti-pop rhetoric and personal insults slung at Simon Cowell, who was big enough and high waisted enough to take them. But there was a central charity motive, the dudes in charge were sheepishly enthused and there was a sense of testing the people power aspects of trying out this social networking thing. But also at the heart of the matter IT DIDN’T MATTER. Sure to a few people, ITV and whatever his name was wot won it might have been a bit annoying, but the nation was just titillated by an interesting news story. On the Facebook page there is a stab at emulating this good natured bonhomie, but also a sense that the whole thing underestimates the very importance of an election.
“Also, the group wasn’t set up by lib dems, it was set up by Ben Stockman. He sent Jon Morter (creator of the RATM group) an email asking if he would mention the group. Jon Morter liked the idea… and that’s how it took off!! “
Firstly the idea that John Morter is one of the nations trend setters is very interesting, he does after all have a lot of people signed up to a Facebook group who feel rather well disposed to him. There is also a lot here which tiptoes around previous “Rock the Vote” type campaigns – though the parallels with a band who brand themselves as anti-authoritarian and often anarchist seems a bit of an odd fit. As a consequence many of these types of campaigns end up using ideas around voting being cool (Avril Lavigne does it), or in this case a bit of a lark. “Let’s see if we can affect the election for a laugh” was surely the rallying cry of the Monster Raving Loony Party (sorry Monster Raving Loony William Hill Party). That and the introduction of a 99p coin.
But as you scroll down the page there are stabs at political education, raging against the political machine that reduces our third party into having barely a dent on politics on the national scene. As the site turns into what it clearly is (and should be), a party political webcast on behalf of the Lib Dems it will turn off those who want to have fun. But who ever scrolls down a webpage, not when there are opinion polls to be gamed too. And if they manage anything with this each of their votes will be worth the same as everyone who only ever votes Labour cos their parents did or married Tories who want their £150 pounds.
That said, the quote on the page saying “Voting Lib Dem is like playing a game on hard mode” is just plain wrong. Voting Lib Dem is like reaching the boss level in a game, and not fighting back.