Monday 13 September 2021

Crowning Inglory

Prince Andrew has not been convicted of having had non-consensual sex with someone who was over the age of consent both in London and in New York, where it was and is 17. In any event, he was an ornament in New York, as he was and is in London. He decorates his mother's court, and he decorated that of Jeffrey Epstein, whose courtiers were otherwise the permanent ruling oligarchy of the American Republic. Nothing in this sordid tale is an argument for the abolition of the monarchy. Quite the reverse, in fact.

A British Presidential Election would have a nomination process. Candidates would certainly require nomination by one tenth of the House of Commons, 65 MPs, and very probably by one fifth of that House, 130 MPs. Even in the first instance, in the wildly unlikely event of more than two candidates, then the House would whittle them down to the two who would be presented to the electorate.

But only two parties are ever going to have 65 MPs, and the two candidates who were put out to the rest of us would in any case always be the nominees of the Conservative and Labour machines. We already know who wins elections and who does not, so at a British Presidential Election the next Bullingdon Club member in line would always defeat someone who had given a spare 50 grand to the most recently successful campaign for the Leadership of the Labour Party. Not all change is progress.

2 comments:

  1. Yes, we'd have the presidential candidates they wanted us to have, so not worth making the change.

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