The Blair robot project
Comments: 7
At least he hit his mark. News of Tony Blair calling an election ran on the BBC’s website with this picture. In it, Blair has apparently just stepped outside Downing St. to casually inform a passing throng of reporters that there will be an election. I get the impression from the photograph (and without having read the story) that this is supposed to be a humanising moment: he is not, after all, pictured delivering an election proclamation from the stage of the People’s Hall to an audience of 200 apparatchniki dressed in whatever it is passes for a Mao suit in Britain these days.
One thing grabbed me about the photo: and it is the wrong thing. Blair stands on a mark prepared for him by … someone (Karl Rove, probably), and he stands on it extremely neatly. It is a T, gaffer-taped onto the ground. The left foot goes in the left crook of the T, the right foot in the right crook. Like so. That’s it, Tony. Good. Now speak your lines.
Why is it that the prime minister of Britain needs an actor’s mark placed on the ground? Are the camera-folk of the British press corps incapable of pulling focus? Is it a confidence thing (he just feels better with it)? Did it just happen to be there, left over from a television sitcom shoot the week before and he coincidentally came to rest on it?
I know they all use them, but the thing is, we’re not supposed to see them. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, and all that. That single mark symbolises so much of what’s wrong with politics these days that it’s just, well, disturbing to think it wasn’t Photoshopped out. I like my illusions well-maintained.
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Posted to General Rants • 2005.04.05 (Tue) • 20:23
Comments
Posted by Ian 2005.04.05, 22:16
That mark was placed there to keep Mr Blair a safe distance from actual people. And that “throng” looks to be one of the kind that are shot so it appears the crowd continues for miles off-camera. It’s probably limited to the half-dozen pictured.
Posted by drgoumet 2005.04.05, 23:56
I wouldn’t get too upset about it. ;)
Posted by Steve Truett 2005.04.07, 03:25
You see, little do people know, Tony Blair was replaced by an actual robot several years ago. Now a labor party representative, just winds him up, right before press confrences. The tape marker is there soley for the benefit of the technician controlling Tonybot 2000 by remote.
Posted by Durf 2005.04.07, 14:41
The Tony Blair Robot doesn’t need you to like him.
Posted by Paul 2005.04.11, 05:10
it’s just, well, disturbing to think it wasn’t Photoshopped outMore disturbing if it had been, surely?
Posted by Jools 2005.05.17, 23:44
It’s puppetry not robotics - wires from above in the case of TB. Our American pals prefer the lectern approach so you can’t see the hand up the backside…
Posted by Wadim 2005.12.30, 03:12
This is very good idea. And all Happy New Year!!!
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