VACUITY AND WINDBAGGISM

Voters are being exposed to a plethora of pledges designed to make them feel good – and cast their ballots for whoever talks louder. Significantly, pundits and publicists try to make their speech acts as concrete as possible, knowing the increasingly wary voters are not easily impressed by nice-sounding but meaningless niceties and empty commonplaces.

Not so in Bulgaria where the newest election alliance, the Changes Continued-Democratic Bulgaria, promulgated their platform that they say will ensure they emerge with a first-past-the-post majority in the next National Assembly. Critics have been quick to slam the CC-DB declared agenda as a good (or bad – depending on the point of view) example of using many words to say nothing. At the end of the day, the voters will decide, but in the meantime here are some excerpts, rendered verbatim:

"Our common aim is to ensure the development of Bulgaria as a just country with a competitive and innovative economy, a high standard of living and decreasing inequality.

"We undertake a clear commitment to continue the democratic changes and work toward a genuinely modern rule.

"Bulgaria needs an educated, healthy, creative and inclusive society of free and equal citizens who are proud of their past, happy in the present and secure for their future.

"Unity makes strength! That motto, inscribed on the Bulgarian coat-of-arms, indicates the road to take to attain the Bulgarian dream – now, and not in years. This is the unification of all Bulgarian citizens who know they do not need any saviours, but – united – can transform the country and make it "equal with the other European nations," as the Apostle of Freedom Vasil Levski has dictated.

"Therefore, we declare our readiness to ensure Bulgarian law treats everyone equally and to implement far-ranging reforms in the office of the chief prosecutor; to restore the equanimity and security of the life of every Bulgarian citizen; to terminate the racket by the agencies of the state and to create a good environment for the honest and free businesses; to ensure the energy independence of Bulgaria; to make Bulgaria the place where we want to raise our children and where they will dream of living and working.

"We undertake a clear commitment to continue with the democratic changes and to work for the attainment of genuinely modern governance. Our common responsibility is to ensure there is a clear direction for development and to make concrete steps to reform the agencies of the state in order to restore the public confidence and modernise the country."