short introduction & lots of questions

[Caius Marcius]

No: HPFGUIDX 20395

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Demelza" <muggle-reader at a...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., pigwidgeon37 at y... wrote:
> 
> > Question 1: Can anybody tell me how a person becomes Minister of 
> > Magic? Because it is mentioned that e.g. Barty Crouch was 
believed 
> to 
> > be the next minitser, but after his son's trial and his wife's 
death 
> > his popularity went down and so, in the end, the lucky one was 
> > Cornelius fudge. But it is never made clear who nominates or 
elects 
> > the minister. (On the contrary, the Hogwarts Headmaster is 
obviously 
> > elected by the board of governors)
> > 
> 
> It's never explained in the series. I assume it is based upon the 
UK's 
> parliamentary government and how they elect their officials. 
Actually 
> I wouldn't be terribly surprized if the Ministry of Magic is a part 
of 
> the UK government, since Fudge did inform the "muggle Minister" 
about 
> the Black escape from Azkaban implying that the muggle government 
is 
> aware of the magical population.

An interesting idea, although I tend to doubt that the Ministers of 
Magic form a part of the Muggle governments. I think that it more 
likely that they comprise "separate but equal" (i.e., separate but 
unequal) powers.  Nevertheless, we see at the Quidditch World Cup 
that the competing teams are very close to the Muggles nations (with 
a few necesary additions, such as Transylvania). The Irish and 
Bulgarian fans proudly wave the Muggle flags of their respective 
nations.

    - CMC

Holy Saint Eiffel, the very phoenix!....A loss of Lordedward and a 
lack of sirphilip a surgeonet showeradown could suck more gargling 
bubbles out of the five lamps in Portterand's praise.

  - Finnegans Wake, p. 116