What is the Willy Wonka metaphor for the election of 23 Wirral councillors?
![Willy Wonka as played by Gene Wilder in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory [1971], but who is Willy Wonka in this metaphor for Wirral's election?](http://johnbrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Willy-Wonka-as-played-by-Gene-Wilder-in-Willy-Wonka-and-the-Chocolate-Factory-min.jpg)
I’m going to use a rather strange metaphor to describe the last set of Wirral Council elections, which may seem odd to start with.
It’s a scene from the film version (called Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) of the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. Sadly I couldn’t find an HD version that includes the part before they enter the tunnel and just after as the lower quality versions don’t have the same impact. This is from the 1971 version (I’m showing my years now), not the 2005 remake with Johnny Depp.
The background to the scene (apologies here if you are familiar with the book or film for telling you what you already know) is that each of the children have won a golden ticket to tour Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory accompanied by one family member. All of them, along with Willy Wonka at the head of the boat are travelling in a paddle boat paddled by some Oompa-Loompas down a river of chocolate.
Just as at the start of every election everything seems rosy and wonderful and things are going to get better, then the boat enters the tunnel.
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The tunnel scene from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Inside the tunnel, people on the boat are scared and frightened by the scenes that are displayed on the wall of the tunnel and some want the journey to stop. I might point out that people in an election vote for irrational reasons, which is why fear (of what’ll happen if they vote for the “wrong” candidate or party) works so well.
Some of the people on the boat think Willy Wonka played by Gene Wilder has lost the plot and don’t know how to react to what he says (or sings).
The boat abruptly stops at the end (the end of the election in this metaphor) and they find everything is back to normal and they are outside the Invention Room.
So (as all Roald Dahl stories have hidden meanings), I look forward to people’s interesting comments identifying who the people in this metaphor represent and what I truly mean!
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