How differently England and Scotland voted [Cât de diferit au votat Anglia şi Scoţia]

It is not for me to explain here what a ‘hung parliament’ is, as long as so many specialists have been doing this since the historical UK Elections of 2010 of last Thursday.

.

I only like to draw attention to how severely split the vote was, and to how the Tories appear to be ‘forbidden’ in Scotland.

.

The fact that the Scots (as well as people of Northern Ireland and Wales) have so different preferences than the English should be worrisome.

.

Few other countries offer similar examples, and I would note the Ukrainian presidential elections (January 2010) and the Iraqi parlamentary elections (March 2010).

.

These are both rather disfunctional democracies, and as a ‘fan of Britain’, I’d certainly not want to see the British democracy take that rather secessionist path.

Therefore, I dare asking here: is such a split vote the sign that the union between England and Scotland is about to crack? Do the 2010 Elections boost the chances of an independent Scotland?

[For all the posts on this blog go to/Pentru toate postările de pe acest blog mergi la: Contents/Cuprins]

A ‘British Obama’ and little truths that won’t change anything [Un ‘Obama britanic’ şi mici adevăruri care nu vor schimba nimic]

“Watching Germany rise from its knees after the war and become a vastly more prosperous nation has not been easy on the febrile British psyche.”

“All nations have a cross to bear, and none more so than Germany with its memories of Nazism. But the British cross is more insidious still.”

“A misplaced sense of superiority, sustained by delusions of grandeur and a tenacious obsession with the last war, is much harder to shake off. We need to be put back in our place.”

Wow, is this another attack on Britan from me, the ever ungrateful and shameless Chevening Fellow, as some ‘friends’ would say?!

Not that I wouldn’t agree with this diagnosis of the British psyche, but I must admit someone else put it better than I could have described it.

That someone is Nick Clegg (leader of the Liberal Democrats), a man who could – theoretically – become the UK’s next Prime Minister (or ruler of Britain’s Elected Dictatorship).

If he weren’t close enough to a historic electoral result – which doesn’t necessarily have to be an outright victory but could rather mean throwing the British political establishment into agonizing deadlock – these words would have remained unnoticed.

After all, the pro-EU, and anti-Iraq war Clegg first spit these little truths some eight years ago. Now, his enemies foolishly imagine that recalling his “attack on British pride” could supposedly tarnish his image of Britain’s Obama.

Well, I’d say it’s just an exaggeration, as I could hardly imagine that there is enough time left before the elections for any ‘Cleggmania’ to gather momentum.

He may talk about ‘hope’ and ‘change’ – just like Barack Obama had been doing for almost two years before the November 2008 Elections – yet Clegg is no more than an irreligious guy, and former playboy (if anyone can be cured of that :-)

Even if he won the elections, his party would not change anything for the better. Although he proves brave enough to tell some truths he’s from the same stock like Obama: very ambitious but rather shallow.

A charismatic character can help one win elections in the USA, and the entire world is curious if this could be done in the UK as well. As millions of Brit youngsters are brainwashed by the celebrity culture this is not altogether impossible anymore.

Neverheless, Clegg has a long way to gain the trust of the nation. Could the inherently euroreserved Britons trust a euroenthusiast (see here, here, here or here)?

Oh, old Monty – seen here (3rd pic) in a statue close to the UK’s Ministry of Defense (2nd pic) – , would you trust him if he were to tell you how to fight a war or rather not fight it? Could soldiers serving under the Union Jack (1st pic) in Afghanistan trust him?

Would anyone from Whitehall believe his promises of tax cuts when Britain is almost bankrupt? Won’t voters fear that a hung parliament could severely affect their lives?

[For all the posts on this blog go to/Pentru toate postările de pe acest blog mergi la: Contents/Cuprins]