We’ve known for some time that 3 is a magic number.
Three wise men. Three lions on my shirt. Three books in the 50 shades of grey series.
The number speaks for itself.
I’m not sure though that before Barack Obama’s fans crowded the streets of New York chanting ‘U-S-A’ over and over again I had quite appreciated the power of 3 when it comes to a good old-fashioned chant. Sure, lists work in threes but syllables? Who’d have tho-o-ought it?
They were some scenes. Let’s be clear about one thing here: this was not a sporting event or even a rock concert. This was an election. You know the one – it’s the thing that about 60% of the British population roll out of bed for every 4 or 5 years, slipping into a secret booth in their local pub to put a large cross next to the person with the most interesting name. The thing we then moan about for months on end as we reflect on the fact that only about 30% of the population actually wanted the party in charge running their country.
Nevertheless, out we go into the streets on results day and begin our chanting:
‘UK! UK! UK!’
‘GB!’
‘Brit-ain!’
Or perhaps not.
Yet, in America, this is what happens. Why? Well, take one big look at their acronym and you’ll have your answer…
‘U.S.A’.
Three syllables. Three powerful letters. Three good reasons to chant the life out of results day.
Somehow, our two syllable country doesn’t quite hack it. We need only look at football crowds to see this:
Eng-land? Oh no, we are En-ger-land. Always have been. Always will be.
Is it any wonder O-ba-ma is back in office? Rom-ney never stood a chance.
With a Ca-me-ron and a Mi-li-band lining up against each other in a few years, we will at least have an even fight on our hands. Mr Clegg might as well just give up now and join the rest of his one-syllable crowd tucking into a bag of doughnuts while the fate of the government is set without him.
As a Len-ton, my hopes of being the subject of (positive) chanting are surely slim and may well be reason enough to not even consider running for PM.
If you can think of any other reasons, do feel free to let me know…
