Evil Evil Fudge

[Jim Ferer <jferer@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 48322

Steve:"I think Fudge is doing everything you suggest, but I don't 
think it is a concious calculated plot. I think he is running on 
fear, instinct, and a lot of rationalized thought. So while he did 
indeed bring the Dementor as was way of stopping Crouch from speading 
his story, I think in his mind, he rationalized it with other 
reasons. Sadly, the only person he is fooling is himself."

If he brought the dementor to silence Crouch, that means he had to 
know that Crouch Jr. was in fact alive.  Someone may have told Crouch 
when he was aked to come up to Moody's office, but he would have had 
to forumlate the idea of eliminating Barty Jr. in that moment and 
then get a Dementor to do it.  He couldn't depend on being able to 
eliminate Crouch that way; if Dumbledore had been in the Moody's 
office when he arrived, the Kiss never would have happened.  The 
other answer is that he knew about Crouch in advance, which means he 
is in active league with Voldemort. I doubt that.

Like you, I think Fudge is a modern-day Neville Chamberlain (Cardinal 
Law?) whose main interest is self-protection.  That's what big, 
entrenched bodies do - protect themselves, cover up, "keep the lid 
on."  Some places they call it "Jaws" syndrome, after the way the 
town fathers [in the movie] covered up the fact beachgoing tourists 
were becoming a shark's lunch.

Does this mean Fudge is evil? Yeah, he is. Cowardice is evil.

Steve:"I think his actions throughout are self-serving and he is 
intent on preserving his own comfortable world no matter how much he 
must delude himself in order to make that happen."

Right on, brother.