David Cameron feels the hand of history where it hurts
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/apr/25/david-cameron-david-mitchell
The UK might very well be on the brink of a political revolution, according to David Mitchell. The age old system of only two parties (and some small insignificant ones) might become a hung parliament and end into a political system with several smaller parties. This is due to the rise of the Liberal Democrats and its leader Nick Clegg, as well as the discontentment among voters. The problem with the two party system is that the leader of one party (often the opposition) only has to prove that he is less terrible than his opponent. Debates will have to be about content again and not just about putting the other one into a bad daylight. This change will come hardest to the conservatives, as they have made the most profit from the old system. They are also the ones most strongly opposed to the approaching change.
I completely agree with David Mitchell’s views in this article. A system with more than two parties that causes a hung parliament will be fairer and change the tone of the debate in the UK, which is too harsh and too much directed at denigrating the opponent. I also hope the voting system will be changed into something that will divide the votes proportionally among the parties. This way, it will be impossible for a party to gain a reasonable number of the votes but not enter parliament because of no local majority. Also possible would be a combination of the two systems, just like the one in New Zealand.
Apart from the content, I really liked David’s way of writing, using comparisons and typically British humour to make his point. Sharp and sarcastic, without forgetting about the seriousness of the subject.
Sunday, 25 April 2010
Apologise for Pope 'Condom' Memo
Foreign Office apologises for Pope 'condom' memo.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8642404.stm
The article is about a document that circulated which suggested some ideas for “an ideal visit” for the pope. This visit would include his being invited to open an abortion clinic and bless a gay marriage during his September visit. It would also be accompanied by the launch of “Benedict” condoms. Several religious leaders were shocked by the document and think it would be appalling to treat the Pope this way. The Foreign Office has apologised for the paper and stressed that it did not reflect its views. Apart from the ideas mentioned above, the document contained various other ideas such as making the Pope apologise for the Armada. The individual responsible has been told orally and in writing that this was a serious error of judgement and he has accepted this view.
I think a lot of people take the document much too seriously because, as the ones responsible also state, it was ‘a joke that had gone too far’. And even though some of the ideas are just ridiculous, like the Pope apologizing for the Armada, some other ideas are not so bad in my opinion. Admittedly, I am against religious leaders and especially the Pope, as I feel he is a murderer. The recent activities of paedophile priests only add to the crimes against humanity the church has been committing for ages. When someone slaughters a tribe in Africa we condemn and imprison him but when the Pope indirectly does the same by forbidding condoms, he is welcomed with open arms? The church has almost no self-criticism, hence the enormous amount they get from outsiders. Imprisoning the Pope will probably not solve anything, and he will certainly refuse to open an abortion clinic, but he certainly must be questioned about his medieval views on the world.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8642404.stm
The article is about a document that circulated which suggested some ideas for “an ideal visit” for the pope. This visit would include his being invited to open an abortion clinic and bless a gay marriage during his September visit. It would also be accompanied by the launch of “Benedict” condoms. Several religious leaders were shocked by the document and think it would be appalling to treat the Pope this way. The Foreign Office has apologised for the paper and stressed that it did not reflect its views. Apart from the ideas mentioned above, the document contained various other ideas such as making the Pope apologise for the Armada. The individual responsible has been told orally and in writing that this was a serious error of judgement and he has accepted this view.
I think a lot of people take the document much too seriously because, as the ones responsible also state, it was ‘a joke that had gone too far’. And even though some of the ideas are just ridiculous, like the Pope apologizing for the Armada, some other ideas are not so bad in my opinion. Admittedly, I am against religious leaders and especially the Pope, as I feel he is a murderer. The recent activities of paedophile priests only add to the crimes against humanity the church has been committing for ages. When someone slaughters a tribe in Africa we condemn and imprison him but when the Pope indirectly does the same by forbidding condoms, he is welcomed with open arms? The church has almost no self-criticism, hence the enormous amount they get from outsiders. Imprisoning the Pope will probably not solve anything, and he will certainly refuse to open an abortion clinic, but he certainly must be questioned about his medieval views on the world.
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