...latest from HuffPost (a fabulous, one-stop shop for all your Iran news- at least the best I've found so far) is here.
This is what I think: the longer this goes, the weaker the regime is going to end up being. The crowds are just way, way too large. This isn't Tiananmen Square- they can't just send in the army and crush the people, they'll end up losing in the long term if they do. Whatever happens in the short term, either way you look at it, the regime status quo is now officially 'damned if they do, damned if they don't.'
In retrospect, you can see why they panicked: the election was being taken very, very seriously and the regime felt like it was being sidelined. Another reformer that's incredibly popular with the young people, most of whom for which the Islamic Republic was becoming somewhat irrelevant? Yep, they freaked out.
Unfortunately, they underestimated the Iranian people- always a deadly mistake. And in doing so, ironically, they made the same exact mistake that the Shah did. And look what happened to him. Say right now that these protests peter out or that some wishy-washy compromise is cobbled together to allow most of the status quo ante to limp forward: even if that happens, the regime has effectively lost legitimacy in the eyes of its people. It's only a matter of time before the Mullahs are slowly but surely pried out of politics and respectfully pushed back to the Mosque.
The Shi'ites are unusual in Islam in that there's actually a loose hierarchy going on, so it'd be interesting to see if eventually the Ayatollah/'Supreme Leader' eventually evolves into a position more analogous to that of the Pope. Respected, listened too, occasionally ignored but still loved by the faithful. If the Ayatollah wants some pointers, the Pope can give him a call. You don't need actual political power to be incredibly influential and relevant in the lives of the people, especially if you're a religious figure. Plus- and here's a kicker, if the Ayatollah happens to read this: religion transcends boundaries... why be the 'Supreme Leader' of Iran if you can be 'first amongst equals' for all of Shi'ism? (And it's not clear whether or not the Ayatollah would be considered that, given the influence of the Ayatollah Sistani in Iraq... I don't know enough about how it all works to say for sure though.)
However you look at it, this is a breaking point- either for gradual evolving change or more fast-paced 'revolutionary' change over the course of the next few months or so. It's worth noting- and I didn't know this, that it took about a year of protests and governmental fuck-ups before the Shah was toppled- so we can't expect stuff to happen overnight.
But, to me- the most exciting thing is this: the Arab Nationalist movement couldn't deliver the goods which is what lead to the rise and influence of the Islamist movement- the Islamic Republic was at the forefront of it's rise in 1979. So what happens if the people of Iran explicitly or implicitly reject Islamism?
The implications of that are very, very interesting...
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Sparse
I've been bad lately and for that I apologize. This summer is shaping up to be a massively busy one and the fall, well, the fall's going to be even crazier. I started a new job that involves working nights, which I'm still training on and the whole 'working nights' thing takes some adjustment.
To summate:
1. I'm trying to finish my thesis and actually have it be good.
2. We're moving into a new house-- next week.
3. I'm running for City Council, so I'm going to have to start working on that as well.
4. I'm going back to school. Yep, I'm gonna be a social studies teacher even if it kills me- unfortunately that involves taking the GREs and the PRAXIS tests, both of which I gots to start studying for.
...it's gonna be a busy summer and a busier fall. Part of me is still adjusting to the new sleeping during the day thing, but part of me is also ready for this. I want to take all of this on and knock it all down. I feel like it's time. I'm 25 and it's time to start living life.
So please. Bear with me...
To summate:
1. I'm trying to finish my thesis and actually have it be good.
2. We're moving into a new house-- next week.
3. I'm running for City Council, so I'm going to have to start working on that as well.
4. I'm going back to school. Yep, I'm gonna be a social studies teacher even if it kills me- unfortunately that involves taking the GREs and the PRAXIS tests, both of which I gots to start studying for.
...it's gonna be a busy summer and a busier fall. Part of me is still adjusting to the new sleeping during the day thing, but part of me is also ready for this. I want to take all of this on and knock it all down. I feel like it's time. I'm 25 and it's time to start living life.
So please. Bear with me...
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Yep, We're Going Green...
...in solidarity with the people of Iran. A few other blog have done it and thinking about it today, I was somewhat disappointed to realize that I don't actually have any green t-shirts or anything, so I can't wear nothin'. But we're here, we're green and we're in it for the long haul.
If you're computer savvy, here's something you can do to help... set up a proxy! (Instructions on how at the link)
If you're computer savvy, here's something you can do to help... set up a proxy! (Instructions on how at the link)
Monday, June 15, 2009
Latest From Iran
Protests continue in Iran after the disputed Presidential election... some reasons why it was disputed here.
Twitter feed here.
Some statistical analysis here and a breakdown of the results here.
Liveblog from HuffPost here.
It's really hard to say what's going on Iran right now because the situation is so fluid- I never really saw the point of Twitter up until now and I'm happy to say that I've completed turned around on it. I viewed Twitter as this strange, weird 'Facebook status update' thing that I couldn't see the point of, but right now Twitter is the best way, hands down to get updates on what the situation on the ground is.
What I can say though, is this: I'm cheering all of these people on- I know I'd be right there out in the streets with them if I was over there. There's footage everywhere on the internet of huge crowds, of students showing the welts left by the batons of the riot police- this is a huge moment in Iran right now and potentially one of the most significant events in the Middle East in thirty years.
It was therefore pretty depressing to see that the main news networks were so lax and behind in picking this story up- they're coming around now, but still... way late on this one folks. The latest... estimates have up to a million people on the streets of Tehran (that may be wishful thinking- no confirmation on that from Twitter yet)- the Ayatollah in a stunning climbdown has called for a probe into allegations of voter fraud. This is after calling the election results a 'divine assessment.' Apparently, God's assessments need to be double checked.
Watch this closely in the coming days...
Twitter feed here.
Some statistical analysis here and a breakdown of the results here.
Liveblog from HuffPost here.
It's really hard to say what's going on Iran right now because the situation is so fluid- I never really saw the point of Twitter up until now and I'm happy to say that I've completed turned around on it. I viewed Twitter as this strange, weird 'Facebook status update' thing that I couldn't see the point of, but right now Twitter is the best way, hands down to get updates on what the situation on the ground is.
What I can say though, is this: I'm cheering all of these people on- I know I'd be right there out in the streets with them if I was over there. There's footage everywhere on the internet of huge crowds, of students showing the welts left by the batons of the riot police- this is a huge moment in Iran right now and potentially one of the most significant events in the Middle East in thirty years.
It was therefore pretty depressing to see that the main news networks were so lax and behind in picking this story up- they're coming around now, but still... way late on this one folks. The latest... estimates have up to a million people on the streets of Tehran (that may be wishful thinking- no confirmation on that from Twitter yet)- the Ayatollah in a stunning climbdown has called for a probe into allegations of voter fraud. This is after calling the election results a 'divine assessment.' Apparently, God's assessments need to be double checked.
Watch this closely in the coming days...
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
He's A Survivor, He's Gonna Make It
Prime Minister Gordon Brown must have the Destiny's Child hit 'I'm a Survivor' on heavy rotation on the Prime Ministerial iPod, because after the most harrowing week in British politics ever, he somehow is still employed as PM. For now, anyway.
His week last week was well, disastrous to say the least. Labour failed to win ANY local councils in local elections- zero, zip, nada- not a council was won. That has never happened before. EVER. And then they went on (for an encore) to have the party's worst performance since World War II in the European elections- coming in third behind the Conservatives and the UK Independence Party. So bad was Labour's performance that the far right British National Party managed to snag two seats for the very first time ever. (And far right in Europe doesn't mean a love of guns, a hatred of government and an unfortunate tendency to view Sean Hannity as the source of absolute truth in the sad, mortal world we live in. No, instead far right in Europe means, 'fascism' and 'we hate all non-white people and wish they would go home.') Happily, BNP leader Nick Griffin was greeted with lots of voter approval at his first press conference outside of Parliament today. And by voter approval, I mean eggs were thrown at him. Lots of them.
Does the bad news for Labour stop there? Alas, no- the trainwreck only gets better. We're talking like 'The Fugitive' here- massive-ass trainwreck... Labour finished fifth and sixth in the Southeast and Southwest of England, being beaten out by the Greens and the Cornish Nationalist Party. (Yes, they want independence for Cornwall. Why, I'm not exactly sure, but more power to 'em I guess.) For the first time since 1918, the Tories won the popular vote in Wales and the SNP (Scottish Nationalist Party) won the popular vote in Scotland, again for the first time ever.
Tiny parties everywhere picked up votes, including the English Democrats, who upped their vote totals by 2%. (The English Democrats formed around a particularly knotty constitutional problem for the UK. Wales and Scotland have their assemblies/parliaments and send MPs to London. Welsh and Scottish MPs can vote on matters pertaining to England, but because of the Welsh and Scottish governments, English MPs CAN'T vote on matters pertaining to Wales and Scotland. It's called the Mid-Lothian Question, I believe and the English Democrats want to solve it by giving England it's own Parliament/Assembly.)
So given all this bad news, why does this guy still have his job? Well... that's a good question- partially because there are no obvious or good replacements out there and partially because no one wants to be the first one to push him out. He or She who stabs first never gets to wear the crown, after all... and if he's got some panache, he could buy his way out of the doghouse.
His week last week was well, disastrous to say the least. Labour failed to win ANY local councils in local elections- zero, zip, nada- not a council was won. That has never happened before. EVER. And then they went on (for an encore) to have the party's worst performance since World War II in the European elections- coming in third behind the Conservatives and the UK Independence Party. So bad was Labour's performance that the far right British National Party managed to snag two seats for the very first time ever. (And far right in Europe doesn't mean a love of guns, a hatred of government and an unfortunate tendency to view Sean Hannity as the source of absolute truth in the sad, mortal world we live in. No, instead far right in Europe means, 'fascism' and 'we hate all non-white people and wish they would go home.') Happily, BNP leader Nick Griffin was greeted with lots of voter approval at his first press conference outside of Parliament today. And by voter approval, I mean eggs were thrown at him. Lots of them.
Does the bad news for Labour stop there? Alas, no- the trainwreck only gets better. We're talking like 'The Fugitive' here- massive-ass trainwreck... Labour finished fifth and sixth in the Southeast and Southwest of England, being beaten out by the Greens and the Cornish Nationalist Party. (Yes, they want independence for Cornwall. Why, I'm not exactly sure, but more power to 'em I guess.) For the first time since 1918, the Tories won the popular vote in Wales and the SNP (Scottish Nationalist Party) won the popular vote in Scotland, again for the first time ever.
Tiny parties everywhere picked up votes, including the English Democrats, who upped their vote totals by 2%. (The English Democrats formed around a particularly knotty constitutional problem for the UK. Wales and Scotland have their assemblies/parliaments and send MPs to London. Welsh and Scottish MPs can vote on matters pertaining to England, but because of the Welsh and Scottish governments, English MPs CAN'T vote on matters pertaining to Wales and Scotland. It's called the Mid-Lothian Question, I believe and the English Democrats want to solve it by giving England it's own Parliament/Assembly.)
So given all this bad news, why does this guy still have his job? Well... that's a good question- partially because there are no obvious or good replacements out there and partially because no one wants to be the first one to push him out. He or She who stabs first never gets to wear the crown, after all... and if he's got some panache, he could buy his way out of the doghouse.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Auf Wiedersen!
The University of Iowa has halted graduate programs in German... I understand that budgets are tight, so programs that have low enrollment will probably have to go, but the linguist in me objects ever so slightly to this. Foreign languages are going to be key components of preparing the American workforce for the 21st Century- I think they should get more cash, not less cash...
That said- is German going to be that important? It's a common feature of high school foreign language classes- there's French, Spanish, German and very occasionally Japanese. Of these four languages Spanish is going to be important, French slightly less important, Japanese comes in number 3 and German is at the bottom of the pile in my book. That's not to hate on German, but to me, it's a useful regional language to learn if you're gonna be an international business major in Europe.
From the point of view of the world (where we have to focus) it's not so useful in my eyes. French is spoken in a large chunk of the world, same as Spanish and Portuguese. Add Chinese, Arabic and Hindi to that and you have the six languages every school kid in America should study...
That said- is German going to be that important? It's a common feature of high school foreign language classes- there's French, Spanish, German and very occasionally Japanese. Of these four languages Spanish is going to be important, French slightly less important, Japanese comes in number 3 and German is at the bottom of the pile in my book. That's not to hate on German, but to me, it's a useful regional language to learn if you're gonna be an international business major in Europe.
From the point of view of the world (where we have to focus) it's not so useful in my eyes. French is spoken in a large chunk of the world, same as Spanish and Portuguese. Add Chinese, Arabic and Hindi to that and you have the six languages every school kid in America should study...
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Bill Killed
David Carradine was found dead today of an apparent suicide in Bangkok-- I'm a little too young to remember Kung-Fu, Shane or even 'Kung-Fu: The Legend Continues' but I do remember thinking he was, well... a bad-ass in Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2.
He'll be missed.
He'll be missed.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Apocrypha Now
Well, it turns out this is an urban legend. I'm somewhat disappointed by this, because if it was true, it'd be funny as hell and just plain awesome-- to whit, the story is this:
Turns out the whole thing was a joke that Armstrong heard by California Comedian Buddy Hackett, but even so- it makes me a little sad when cool things like this are revealed to be totally and utterly apocryphal. But kudos to Buddy Hackett for one heckuva good joke- and double kudos for actually getting people to believe that it was for real! (Granted, I'm probably the last person in the world to realize that this isn't, in fact, true- but still...)
When Apollo Mission Astronaut Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon, he not only gave his famous "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" statement but followed it by several remarks, usual com traffic between him, the other astronauts and Mission Control. Just before he re-entered the lander, however, he made the enigmatic remark "Good luck, Mr. Gorsky."
Many people at NASA thought it was a casual remark concerning some rival Soviet Cosmonaut. However, upon checking, there was no Gorsky in either the Russian or American space programs. Over the years many people questioned Armstrong as to what the "Good luck, Mr. Gorsky" statement meant, but Armstrong always just smiled.
On July 5, 1995 (in Tampa Bay, FL) while answering questions following a speech, a reporter brought up the 26 year old question to Armstrong. This time he finally responded. Mr. Gorsky had finally died and so Neil Armstrong felt he could answer the question.
When he was a kid, he was playing baseball with a friend in the backyard. His friend hit a fly ball which landed in the front of his neighbor's bedroom windows. His neighbors were Mr. & Mrs. Gorsky.
As he leaned down to pick up the ball, young Armstrong heard Mrs. Gorsky shouting at Mr. Gorsky, "Oral sex! You want oral sex?! You'll get oral sex when the kid next door walks on the moon!"
True story.
Turns out the whole thing was a joke that Armstrong heard by California Comedian Buddy Hackett, but even so- it makes me a little sad when cool things like this are revealed to be totally and utterly apocryphal. But kudos to Buddy Hackett for one heckuva good joke- and double kudos for actually getting people to believe that it was for real! (Granted, I'm probably the last person in the world to realize that this isn't, in fact, true- but still...)
Ballsy
A student in Washington gave a persuasive speech in favor of the legalization of marijuana and at the end of it, just to cap things off, he pulled out a joint, smoked it and ate the remains.
He got a trip to the Principal's Office and Juve shortly after that- but I have to wonder: did he get an A?
He got a trip to the Principal's Office and Juve shortly after that- but I have to wonder: did he get an A?
Democracy With Ice and Twist of Lemon?
This is why I love political science- people vote EVERYWHERE!
Free For All (2010 MN-Gov)
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has announced that he's not running for a third term and the scramble to succeed him has already begun. MN House Minority Leader Marty Seifert and GOP MN Senate Leader David Senjem are already making noises that they might run-- there's a big crowd from the DFL (that's Democratic to any non-Minnesotans)that's already lining up including MN House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher and former US Senator Mark Dayton... this is going to be an out and out free for all. Fun times are ahead!
An interesting potential twist: Norm Coleman?
The big question then becomes this: what's next for Pawlenty? Many are interpreting this as the first step towards a Presidential run in 2012. Personally, when I hear people talking about Tim Pawlenty, Republican Nominee- or even President Pawlenty the first words that usually leap into my head are: 'Are You High?' The StarTrib may publish happy articles about how 'popular' he is, but he's never received a majority either time he's elected- and he's a lot less popular then he appears. That's my read anyway-- in my three years in Minnesota, I don't think I ever really met anyone who was all about Tim Pawlenty.
He was barely re-elected in 2006 and had to claw his way to the Governorship in 2002, beating back the Republican establishment candidate as he did so and given the fact that despite the dreams of Republicans everywhere, Minnesota ain't turnin' red anytime soon. In fact, they've got the longest blue streak going in the nation, being the only state to vote for Mondale in '84. If memory serves, Minnesota hasn't voted Republican since 1972.
So Tim Pawlenty for President? Again, my first reaction: 'Are you high?' But if you stop and think about it, there is potential there. A lot of it depends on how he handles his budget cutting party in July (he's doing it solo) and let's face it- the GOP as of right now doesn't have a lot of bench strength for 2012. Pawlenty may well end up being the best choice out there- after all, he's managed to get re-elected in a solidly blue state. But will he translate to a national stage? That's a tougher question... I think you can certainly put him on the short list for VP- but President? Meh. I'll believe it when I see it, despite the eagerness of Democrats to hand it all back to the Republicans.
An interesting potential twist: Norm Coleman?
The big question then becomes this: what's next for Pawlenty? Many are interpreting this as the first step towards a Presidential run in 2012. Personally, when I hear people talking about Tim Pawlenty, Republican Nominee- or even President Pawlenty the first words that usually leap into my head are: 'Are You High?' The StarTrib may publish happy articles about how 'popular' he is, but he's never received a majority either time he's elected- and he's a lot less popular then he appears. That's my read anyway-- in my three years in Minnesota, I don't think I ever really met anyone who was all about Tim Pawlenty.
He was barely re-elected in 2006 and had to claw his way to the Governorship in 2002, beating back the Republican establishment candidate as he did so and given the fact that despite the dreams of Republicans everywhere, Minnesota ain't turnin' red anytime soon. In fact, they've got the longest blue streak going in the nation, being the only state to vote for Mondale in '84. If memory serves, Minnesota hasn't voted Republican since 1972.
So Tim Pawlenty for President? Again, my first reaction: 'Are you high?' But if you stop and think about it, there is potential there. A lot of it depends on how he handles his budget cutting party in July (he's doing it solo) and let's face it- the GOP as of right now doesn't have a lot of bench strength for 2012. Pawlenty may well end up being the best choice out there- after all, he's managed to get re-elected in a solidly blue state. But will he translate to a national stage? That's a tougher question... I think you can certainly put him on the short list for VP- but President? Meh. I'll believe it when I see it, despite the eagerness of Democrats to hand it all back to the Republicans.
Broken Glass Ceiling
India has elected it's first female speaker of Parliament. Meira Kumar has been elected to Parliament five times from the state of Bihar and is a member of the Dalit or untouchable caste.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
If You Want Blood (You've Got It)
While everyone over here has been freaking out about swine flu, there's a titanic political crisis that's been unfolding in the UK that's about to go nuclear- and has the potential to re-write the electoral map over there in a fairly major way (at most) or at the very least, take down the Labour Party and bring the Conservative Party back to power for the first time since 1997. Either way, Britain's getting a new government- probably by the end of the year, if not a heckuva lot sooner.
So what happened?:
1. Well Tony Blair happened. There's a book that I'm going to be bumping up on my list of 'books to read' by a guy called Peter Osbourne called 'The Triumph of the Political Class.' Basically, Blair wasn't as revolutionary as everyone thought he was- his model of the 'Prime Minister as President' has turned out to be a total disaster. Before Blair, the fascinating thing about the British executive was that it tended to shift a little with each Prime Minister- style and personality played a part for each, which is why the Premiership under Thatcher looks different from the one under Heath, Wilson or Churchill-- but the underlying foundation of the British executive has always been this idea that the Prime Minister is 'first amongst equals.' Answerable to their cabinet and party-- people hailed Blair as something fresh and different because he was the first Labour Leader in about twenty years who actually didn't talk complete rubbish. (To be totally fair to Neil Kinnock* the Labour Leader who lost the 1992 Election, I'm not entirely sure why he lost, given how insipid John Major was and how unpopular Conservatives were at the time. I shall have to investigate this further.)
But any-hoo: under Blair, everything became slick and pre-packaged and there was a tendency towards centralization that was previously unseen in the British executive. If you like, I can probably find reams of papers from British constitutional scholars all very concerned that this dive towards centralization was nothing more than a drift towards presidentialism and they'd been warning of the potential ill-effects for years.
2. Gordon Brown happened. Gordon Brown is hardly the most charismatic of figures and I just don't think he was up to snuff. He certainly didn't do anything drastic to rollback Blairism or shift the changes in the political system back to where they were before Blair. Maybe that's asking too much of the guy, but he was set up to be John Major to Blair's Thatcher--- he got to be Prime Minister, but at the end of the day, people are going to remember Blair. Some of them may spit or curse after they say his name, but they'll still remember him.
3. The Political Class: Britain is tricky for a lot of people over here to get their heads around. There's more to it than just Spice Girls, Fish and Chips and funny accents... there's a little thing called 'The Establishment' and class issues still rear their ugly heads now and again in ways that they don't over here. If you want a full report- dig up Osbourne's book and read it. I'm going to. But basically: back in the day, there was a very real 'Establishment' of people who went to certain schools, took certain classes with certain professors and met the right people as a result. It's the 'old boy's network' and it could get you a very cushy job in government very quickly. It was bullshit, of course-- and Blair and company wanted to change that. Unfortunately, but dismembering the old Establishment (or at least neutering it. I seriously doubt the British 'Establishment' will ever really die) they essentially set up a new, entitled Political Class to take its place.
4. Which leads us into step 4-- the scandal... In my book Woodward and Berstein ain't got nothing on these folks at the Daily Telegraph- who uncovered a scandal so big that it's got it's own damn page that gets updated regularly! Short version is this: the Telegraph in probably one of the most kick-ass coups in political journalism anywhere got a list or something of the expenses for every MP in Parliament and found out that there was a titanic misuse of funds going on- across all three of the major parties! So far, it's taken down 15 MPs, and it's estimated that maybe up to a third of Labour MPs won't be standing at the next election as a result of this. In American terms- imagine a scandal that took down 15 members of Congress and had 85 members not running for re-election. That's not just big, it's titanic.
My favorites:
One MP continued to claim for a mortgage he'd already paid off.
Another claimed roughly $30,000 over 18 months on a mortgage that didn't exist.
One claimed 140 cherry trees and 75 red cedars. Why? I don't know.
Claims for about $40,000 to treat dry rot at an MP's house.
$100,000 for extensions to a constituency flat and $1000 for pictures in front of hay bales.
$2000 for a duck house. (This is worth seeing)
$4000 for moat cleaning!!! (No, really. Moat cleaning.)
And you know what's really crazy? This isn't done yet-- they're digging up more every single day. If you want to see some of the crazier misuses of British taxpayer money, click here.
5. And thus we come to step 5. BOOM! How do you overthrow the British government? Well, do the above four steps, take two aspirin and get ready. 'Cuz I think there's gonna be an election coming soon.
*American Political Nerds may remember Neil Kinnock because our dear Vice-President plagiarized parts of one of Kinnock's speeches back when he was running for Prez in 1988.
So what happened?:
1. Well Tony Blair happened. There's a book that I'm going to be bumping up on my list of 'books to read' by a guy called Peter Osbourne called 'The Triumph of the Political Class.' Basically, Blair wasn't as revolutionary as everyone thought he was- his model of the 'Prime Minister as President' has turned out to be a total disaster. Before Blair, the fascinating thing about the British executive was that it tended to shift a little with each Prime Minister- style and personality played a part for each, which is why the Premiership under Thatcher looks different from the one under Heath, Wilson or Churchill-- but the underlying foundation of the British executive has always been this idea that the Prime Minister is 'first amongst equals.' Answerable to their cabinet and party-- people hailed Blair as something fresh and different because he was the first Labour Leader in about twenty years who actually didn't talk complete rubbish. (To be totally fair to Neil Kinnock* the Labour Leader who lost the 1992 Election, I'm not entirely sure why he lost, given how insipid John Major was and how unpopular Conservatives were at the time. I shall have to investigate this further.)
But any-hoo: under Blair, everything became slick and pre-packaged and there was a tendency towards centralization that was previously unseen in the British executive. If you like, I can probably find reams of papers from British constitutional scholars all very concerned that this dive towards centralization was nothing more than a drift towards presidentialism and they'd been warning of the potential ill-effects for years.
2. Gordon Brown happened. Gordon Brown is hardly the most charismatic of figures and I just don't think he was up to snuff. He certainly didn't do anything drastic to rollback Blairism or shift the changes in the political system back to where they were before Blair. Maybe that's asking too much of the guy, but he was set up to be John Major to Blair's Thatcher--- he got to be Prime Minister, but at the end of the day, people are going to remember Blair. Some of them may spit or curse after they say his name, but they'll still remember him.
3. The Political Class: Britain is tricky for a lot of people over here to get their heads around. There's more to it than just Spice Girls, Fish and Chips and funny accents... there's a little thing called 'The Establishment' and class issues still rear their ugly heads now and again in ways that they don't over here. If you want a full report- dig up Osbourne's book and read it. I'm going to. But basically: back in the day, there was a very real 'Establishment' of people who went to certain schools, took certain classes with certain professors and met the right people as a result. It's the 'old boy's network' and it could get you a very cushy job in government very quickly. It was bullshit, of course-- and Blair and company wanted to change that. Unfortunately, but dismembering the old Establishment (or at least neutering it. I seriously doubt the British 'Establishment' will ever really die) they essentially set up a new, entitled Political Class to take its place.
4. Which leads us into step 4-- the scandal... In my book Woodward and Berstein ain't got nothing on these folks at the Daily Telegraph- who uncovered a scandal so big that it's got it's own damn page that gets updated regularly! Short version is this: the Telegraph in probably one of the most kick-ass coups in political journalism anywhere got a list or something of the expenses for every MP in Parliament and found out that there was a titanic misuse of funds going on- across all three of the major parties! So far, it's taken down 15 MPs, and it's estimated that maybe up to a third of Labour MPs won't be standing at the next election as a result of this. In American terms- imagine a scandal that took down 15 members of Congress and had 85 members not running for re-election. That's not just big, it's titanic.
My favorites:
One MP continued to claim for a mortgage he'd already paid off.
Another claimed roughly $30,000 over 18 months on a mortgage that didn't exist.
One claimed 140 cherry trees and 75 red cedars. Why? I don't know.
Claims for about $40,000 to treat dry rot at an MP's house.
$100,000 for extensions to a constituency flat and $1000 for pictures in front of hay bales.
$2000 for a duck house. (This is worth seeing)
$4000 for moat cleaning!!! (No, really. Moat cleaning.)
And you know what's really crazy? This isn't done yet-- they're digging up more every single day. If you want to see some of the crazier misuses of British taxpayer money, click here.
5. And thus we come to step 5. BOOM! How do you overthrow the British government? Well, do the above four steps, take two aspirin and get ready. 'Cuz I think there's gonna be an election coming soon.
*American Political Nerds may remember Neil Kinnock because our dear Vice-President plagiarized parts of one of Kinnock's speeches back when he was running for Prez in 1988.
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