“PHONETICALLY SPEAKING” To reflect the fast pace of world news, my blog is probably best served as a stream-of-consciousness text. Fast and unadulterated. With this approach, and on first encounter, text might not seem to scan. This is because I am dyslexic. Instead of keeping the proof-readers busy, I would rather let my blog updates of my visual work stand as a record of my experience of dyslexia, which I am keen that you now get to enjoy too. Unlike some news outlets, I hereby excuse myself the need for a ‘corrections’ section! The excitement of a new language is something I’m quite familiar with, and it is with this ‘joie de vivre’ that I am delighted to guide you through my thought and work processes, more phonetically (than fanatically) speaking.
THE DONKEY RACE
“THE DONKEY RACE”
Join the absurd spectacle of global politics, where world leaders abandon years of meticulous pandemic planning to indulge in an unexpected challenge: donkey racing! In this satirical contest, where you could easily swap out the faces for any of your local government representatives, politicians from the UK and beyond try to outpace the reigning champions, the Chinese government, by mounting their trusty donkeys and racing towards dubious victory.
On the bumpy donkey track, British politicians and their Western counterparts scramble to enforce new rules, navigating shifting public sentiment with varying degrees of success. In a sport that’s proving tougher than anyone imagined, they dangle carrots of all sorts – economic incentives, policy promises, and even exaggerated fears – to keep the race going and the population compliant.
Opposition parties, despite their supposed differences, find themselves either doubling down on government directives or adopting the opposite stance, all in pursuit of their own share of the carrots. Meanwhile, dissenters who refuse to join the race, like the bold former President of Tanzania, John Magufuli, and former President of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, face the wrath of the all-powerful Federation of World Donkey Racing (FWDR). Those who dare to challenge the official narrative or raise inconvenient scientific doubts meet suspiciously untimely ends, leaving them as grim trophies on display.
Labelled as conspiracy theorists and threats to society, these non-conformists remind us of the high stakes in The Donkey Race – a farcical yet globally recognisable reflection of today’s political landscape.
