The Other Minister (was Re: Is Umbridge a commentary on British govt. ed

[Tonks]

Snape's Witch:
> > That was my first thought too, but the timeline isn't right.  
HBP starts the summer of 1996 and Blair didn't become PM until the 
next spring, and of course Bill Clinton was president then.
> > 
> > I have no difficulty imagining John Major calling Bill 
> Clinton 'that horrible man'!!  (Poor Bill, the Brits even made fun 
of him in 'Love Actually.')

Mercia said:
> You are right no doubt on the timeline being wrong but I suspect 
this  is JKR's notorious problems with maths and dates slipping up 
again. I think that most of the UK proably read this as a not very 
covert reference to Tony Blair and Bill Clinton with even a little 
snipe at the Blair/Brown rivalry thrown in with the comment that 
even the  Chancellor had been unable to remove the portrait. I know 
that I and  most of my HP fan friends smirked to ourselves over that 
one. I think she was letting current realities at the time of 
writing HBP creep in  and not paying too much attention to the date 
events in the book were supposed to be happening. JMO of course.

Tonks:
I still think that the reference is to Bush. Never Bill!!! I didn't 
know people in the UK had a bad impression of Clinton. He was one of 
our best presidents. What's a little "massage" after all?

I agree that Rowling isn't paying that much attention to the time 
line. The book came out when people the world over saw Bush as a war 
monger and an idiot. I am SURE it is Bush. Now that is something I 
wish she would admit sometime. Maybe when he is out of office and 
Hillary is in!

Tonks_op