Last night I watched the opening of the British Parliament.
It was full of symbolism of old protocols.
I thought children should be shown this at school as part of history
and civil affairs.
At the start the Yeoman of the Guard paraded with lamps to search the
house and basements for Guy Folkes copiers.
Then the teacher could explain the relevance for the safety of parliamentarians.
Even our parliament probably has a look around for the same reason.

The tradition of the Black Rod and its relevance to the rights and
privileges of parliament as the supreme legal body in the country
that even the Queen or King cannot enter that house.
The teacher could explain why it was important at the time and why it
is still important today.

Bazz managed to avoid it and thankful for that.
Rather hope we become a republic and soon and that the nonsense like those robes and wigs get burned
Some may be of the court's dead sheep, with a few who wear them in the fire.
Hope however kids are told about two world wars showed film of piles of murdered folk and make a better future for themselves

It is their history Belly and they should know about it.
The wigs and robes are not what is about.
Black Rod illustrates that no one can impose their will on parliament.
It would tell the kids that there are real reasons for these
traditions because someone tried it on once upon a time.

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Dear Baz,

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I did not see the opening ceremony of the impeachment trial in the US House of Representatives, but I watched many of the speeches of individual members whose allocated speaking time ranged from as little as 30 seconds to a maximum of 3 minutes for the longest.

It was quite amazing. Like watching a merry-go-round in a circus.

What I also found amazing was the quality of the speeches. They were tremendous. Precise, to the point, powerful arguments – on both sides of the debate – for and against. I found myself ready to condemn and acquit, alternatively, as each member took the stand, if for only a minute and a half or less.

I had never witnessed anything like it. It was a real lesson that amazed and humbled me – which I shall never forget.

If I had to single out just one speech that I found particularly remarkable, it would probably be that of Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader (Democrat), who spoke on the floor of the senate following Trump’s impeachment by the House of Representatives. Here is his speech :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SE8oErsaJM

My overall impression of this unique, historic and most astonishing spectacle was that I had just witnessed the death throes of representative democracy. The elaborate system of checks and balances that had been designed to shore up democracy and protect it from tyranny had just been undermined by party politics.

It is said of the US system of impeachment that the House impeaches and the Senate convicts. The House had impeached Donald Trump, but the Senate will almost certainly not convict him. In all likelihood, it will acquit him.

The House is controlled by a majority of the Democratic Party. The Senate is controlled by a majority of the Republican Party.

Unless a miracle occurs, a tyrant will rise from the ashes of representative democracy in the United States of America in the early days of 2020.

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Hmmm, yes well. The main lesson I have gathered from the last four
years of boring rhetoric since the day he was elected is that I am
glad that we are not a republic.
How much better is it if the members are not happy with the PM they
just vote him out as leader. A meeting and it is all over.
The PM goes to the governor and reports that he does not have the
confidence of his party and suggests that the governor appoints another as PM.

It has been going on over there for four years and may go for another four years !
Which system has had the least disturbance ?

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Dear Bazz,

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You wrote :

« … I am glad that we are not a republic. How much better is it if the members are not happy with the PM they just vote him out as leader »

That’s one way of looking at it I guess, Bazz. But the US is a republic and, apparently, the American citizens aspire to true democracy, not just hereditary rule by a monarch with a prime minister appointed by a political party rather than democratically elected by the citizens of the country.

There has been a lot of dissatisfaction expressed around the world with representative democracy over the past few decades and I expect that the current crisis in the US will have far-reaching repercussions that will affect us all one way or another.

Looks like 2020 is going to be a year full of danger – Brexit in the UK, presidential impeachment in the US, increased economic and political hegemony by communist China, growing international insecurity, weakening of international institutions, worsening ecological crisis, increased protectionism, migrant crisis reaching explosive proportions, continued widespread home-made terrorism …

Strong leadership is what is needed in times like this, but we don’t need a tyrant, a despot or a dictator. Nor do we need somebody who simply inherits the job from his ancestors. We need to be able to choose our leaders democratically and hold them directly accountable to us, and us alone – not to their political parties.

In my view, we have a lot to learn from the current partisan presidential impeachment crisis in the US.

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