Let's face it, Autocontrol is a headache for advertisers and agencies, no matter how much we have promoted it. It makes us work harder and suffer more. In my agency, there is an account executive, well versed in the subject, who wakes up sweating at night shouting things like: "Autocontrol won't approve this, take it out! Send the script to Autocontrol before filming! Autocontrol says we have to make changes! Autocontrol has rejected it!!..." And then there are those legal texts that spoil a nice shoot, those giant TAEs, those impossible clarifications... It's a pain for everyone, but we have to put up with it, because if Autocontrol doesn't approve it, the networks won't air it.

Maybe they go a bit too far, sometimes it seems that way to me, but hey, at least we have an organisation that cares about the accuracy of what is broadcast, that is committed to protecting consumers and defending the credibility of the sector. As a creative person, I find it a nuisance, but as a member of the industry, I am grateful for the legitimacy it gives to our messages, and as a consumer, I feel protected. I can't think of a Doritos advert I've seen on TV could be a scam, and if I suspected it, I would have somewhere to complain.

And it makes me think that other sectors might learn a little something, don't you think? Politicians in particular, that is. In its mission statement, Autocontrol commits to working towards communication that responsible, truthful, lawful, honest, and genuine. Take that. Can you imagine this being applied to political discourse? The cream of Spain.

Unfortunately, this is not the case. The messages from our politicians are riddled with lies, half-truths and where I said yes, I mean noAnd nothing happens. We are so used to deception that it seems normal to us. Everyone does it. It's part of the game, and it's not just that they get away with it, it's that it pays off for them. In the past, lying was enough to get you kicked out of the White House, or at least to embarrass you. Today, it wins votes.

Our history is full of great parliamentarians of all stripes, such as Cánovas, Sagasta, Azaña and Echegaray... In contrast, the parliamentary style that prevails today is that of market traders, hair tonic salesmen, con artists, mediocrities, thugs and neighbourhood bullies... It would be laughable, were it not for the sadness it inspires, and sometimes fear. George Orwell said that two of the symptoms of linguistic decline are vague expressions and empty texts, so inherent in today's political discourse. And not only are Orwell's dystopian prophecies coming true, Goebbels' eleven principles of propaganda are returning: simplification, the creation of single enemies, responding to one's own mistakes with attacks, exaggeration and distortion, vulgarisation, silencing what cannot be argued... and the principle that sums them all up: If a lie is repeated a thousand times, it ends up becoming the truth..

None of this would happen with a self-regulatory body for politicians that would keep them in line. A body that would ensure that the promises made to voters have been filtered through responsibility, truthfulness, legality, honesty and realityI would love to see their lordships with a legal text running underneath saying "this promise is only valid on the mainland and the Balearic Islands, and only while stocks last", or with a huge figure in the top corner of the screen detailing how much their idea is going to cost us. An organisation that would make them re-write their speeches over and over again until they were free of lies and offensive language; that would ensure that the advertisers deliver what they promise; and where consumers – voters – can complain that what we have received at home bears no resemblance to the photo on the website.

Oh! If such a body existed, a self-regulatory body for politicians, we would all undoubtedly live more securely, more peacefully and with greater confidence in the future. Well, everyone except politicians, of course.