[HPforGrownups] Re: Vote! (OT)/...wizard politics

[Neil Ward]

No: HPFGUIDX 5367

Penny wrote:

>>>P.S.  Do the Brits have any feelings about this election?  My husband
>>>was negotiating a transaction with Spanish businessmen the other day,
>>>and they had some very definite opinions about "Dubya" (which I won't
>>>share as they'd be offensive to the Bush supporters).

It's about 5.15am here, it's neck and neck according to the pundits and I'm
on the edge of my seat shouting "Go, Go Gore!" (not).  

I echo some of the comments about British apathy when it comes to voting and
I could not believe the lack of interest in the European parliamentary
elections, in particular (not to mention the London Assembly).  

>From a British point of view the US elections are monitored more closely
than those of other foreign countries, including our EU cousins, because the
US President is such a dang powerful world figure ...as if you didn't know.
We get plenty of TV coverage over here, but it's hard to keep track of the
issues and subtleties of the campaigns. I'm rooting for Gore simply mainly
he's the Democrat, but partly because I love the idea of a First Lady called
Tipper. How cool.

I have some related HP questions now.  Did we ever decide whether the
Ministry of Magic is part of the Muggle government, part of an independent
Wizard goverment or representative of the whole Wizard government?  Is there
a political element to the Ministry of Magic reflecting the Muggle parties
or is it some sort of cross-party coalition related or unrelated to Muggle
politics?

I'm crap at timelines, but I think I'm right in saying that Muggle Britain
would have been under Conservative rule for most Harry's time at Hogwarts
and that PS began in the early part of Thatcher's reign.  This raises the
possibility that Attila the Hen, aka Margaret Thatcher, appointed Cornelius
Fudge as Minister of Magic (obviously unbeknownst to the population at
large).  I say "possibility" because I get the impression that the wizarding
world is completely apolitical - more like a department of civil servants -
and that there is no concept of party politics.

Any thoughts on this?

Neil

PS.  Can anyone fill me in on the politics of Darth Vader... sorry, Ralph Nader?

            Flying-Ford-Anglia

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   "Then, dented, scratched and steaming, 
   the car rumbled off into the darkness, 
   its rear lights blazing angrily"

 [Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]

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