We’ve all noticed them. A new face suddenly appearing on all sorts of TV shows or being elected into a highish office. What I still don’t know is who chooses them and why are they given so much airtime.
There have been many remarkable rises to fame from obscurity. In the journalistic world we have the boy Jones, Benjamin Butterworth and although stretching credulity a bit, Femi Sorry. They all suddenly appeared as if from nowhere to be on our screens or in our faces far too frequently.
It is the political side that gives far more cause for concern. Nicholas Sarkozy was an early version, although he is now residing in the French prison system, and he was followed by the dreadful Micron. Both were well under the radar when they suddenly appeared centre stage to win handsomely. But it is not just France that has this feature.
I would like to say the USA does not have this problem but the formerly unknown Zohran Mamdani has just been elected Mayor of New York by promising everything free. Now he is in office there is no way he can dole out anything free, he has no funding, and those mugs who voted for him now have a serious case of buyer’s remorse. There is much muttering about where are the free buses and so on. All I can say is if you believe someone can give you all these things free then more fool you.
Upon reflection old 44 himself, aka Barack Hussein Obama II, aka Barry Soetoro, aka Bath House Barry, came from almost nowhere to win the Presidency with what is allegedly a fake family but it is best not to delve into that.
Here in the UK we have not really seen much of this in the political arena until this year. Another “not his real name” has surfaced as leader of the Greens. Again he sprang from obscurity and while he is not offering free stuff, not yet anyway, he does bang on about a wealth tax or even taxes. This appeals to the vindictive side of the left who can’t understand that the richest people have oodles of dosh, or at least assets, precisely because they can afford the best advice to raise themselves above us tax paying hoi polloi.
His name is David Paulden though he likes to be known as Zack Polanski. He has obviously been thoroughly prepared because he sails through interview after interview batting aside all questions and somehow avoiding any questions that would show him up for the charlatan he almost certainly is.
We did have Rishi Sunak as leader of the Tories and his rise was as meteoric as it was startling. When Liz Truss won the leadership contest she was quickly removed in a coup orchestrated by the Bank of England to make way for the WEF choice NikNak. I have to say he was pretty useless as PM but he must have followed orders and performed as was desired. I have to say that the economic reasons used to justify removing the hapless Liz apply to the present government in spades but the talking heads just ignore that.
I have long been of the opinion that when the chosen one has acquired the top job, they are helped in place by mediocre opposition. See Margaret Thatcher with the old duffer Michael Foot and the over the top Neil Kinnock as her opposition. We have also experienced Satan Blair seeing off various nonentities who led the Tory Party. Billy Hague, IDS and Michael Howard are shining examples.
An outlier is our very own NHRN Tommy R. Variously described as a knuckle dragger and far right thug here is a man who is not of the left. His quick rise to fame led me to doubt his credentials and even now there are still nagging doubts.
In Germany we had Angela Merkel making the leap from East German apparatchik to Chancellor and how she managed to scupper us with her million Syrians setting an example for others to follow. The latest German Chancellor, the gormless looking Friedrich Merz, is another one who slid up the greasy pole far too quickly. I fear his days are numbered, a most ineffectual Kanzler and as we all know to our cost, the Hun do like a strong leader. Germany is actually going very pear shaped in economic terms.
Before continuing it is noticeable that all these jack in the box leaders who are foisted on us end up being roundly detested long before they slink off back to obscurity. I suspect we are in for much more of our political class achieving instant fame and success.
In Italy Giorgia Meloni has been around since the 1990s and dabbled in some neo fascist parties in those days. Again, like our very own NHRN, I am somewhat ambivalent about her. She generally makes the right noises but doesn’t always follow up with action. I often wonder why her history with the far right is not mentioned more often. If Nigel Farage had been in the National Front or its like he would have been attacked day and night.
It is a right mystery who makes the decision to put these people in the public eye. I am reminded of the 1960s with the old in and out thing. Everyone was desperate to be in but as soon as anyone knew what it was, it was suddenly out again. I still puzzle over who was pulling the strings. I suppose we were generally a bit naïve in those days.
I am sure I have forgotten a few obvious names but those who mistakenly read the article are welcome to put any name(s) in the comments though I don’t know why you bother because nobody reads them.
© well_chuffed 2025
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