[HPforGrownups] Democracy and Prejudice in the WW (WAS: Why do 'purebloods' hate Muggles?)

[heiditandy]

No: HPFGUIDX 50589

Tom Wall wrote about democracy. 

Tom, let me guess - you don't live in the UK, do you? Neither do I -
although in college my major was British history from 1066 to 1990, so
I'm sure someone more familiar with British Parliamentary structures and
school organization can explain this a lot better than I can but... 


> Has anyone noticed that the WW is for the most part oligarchic?  
> Canon seems to support the notion that a small group of elites rules 
> the wizarding world.

Actually, it doesn't. We've seen Arthur Weasley, who is implied to be
not part of the elite, in terms of money, etc, in the wizarding world,
hold a senior position in the Ministry - yes, it's also implied that
it's not a very prestigious or well paid position, but if it was a true
oligarchy, then that kind of position would be held by a screw-up son of
a powerful family. 
> 
> Consider: The Ministry of Magic. From what we know, the MoM is the 
> sole arbiter and source of ALL policies in the British WW. 

Correct, just as in the UK, there is no clear separation of legislative
and executive branches of the government; the executive branch is,
structurally, a committee of the legislature, but because of party
discipline, the cabinet, as leadership of the majority party, controls
Parliament, while being answerable to it. (from Infoplease.com). The UK
is a democracy, however because the members of Parliament are elected by
the people. 

Even though, as you note, Fudge was appointed Minister of Magic, he was
"appointed" because the members of his group/party/organization (we
don't yet know) named him the head of said party. And the head of the
party is the one who is Prime Minister in the UK, so it seems logical
that she'd parallel the political structure of the country in which she
lives, not the political structure used by the US (which is, actually
somewhat rare among countries with elective processes).  
> 
> So, anyways, if people are "appointed" to these posts, who exactly 
> does the appointing? Is there ever, ever, a mention in canon of 
> wizarding elections? Not that I can recall. 
No mention in the books (although there might be something mentioned in
QTTA or FB) , but given that in the UK, elections only need be held
every five years, unless the party in power calls for an election at
another time, and given that in the UK the election cycle is incredibly
brief compared to what we have in the US, it would surprise me if we see
more than one in canon. If that. 

> 
> Is the WW so far behind the muggle world that they actually have no 
> democracy?
No, it just seems that the wizards in the UK have a setup more similar
to that of the UK itslef. Makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, parliament in
the UK has existed (inconsistently, mind you) since the 1300's, which is
well before the Wizard/Muggle split described in Quidditch Through the
Ages. 

> 
> Consider the way student positions are handled at Hogwarts: Prefects 
> and the Head Boy/Head Girl would also seem to be appointed by 
> someone (s). Who, exactly, appoints these positions? I bet 
> we'll find out 
> more about that in subsequent books, especially if Hermione (as 
> everyone seems to expect) becomes a Prefect.  
> 
> But doesn't it strike anyone as odd that there aren't (so far) any 
> mentions of ELECTED student posts? 

No, it strikes me as perfectly acceptable and reasonable, given that
Hogwarts is in the UK. In the UK, prefects and the Head Boy and/or Girl
are generally chosen by the instructors and/or administration. While
there are some schools that now have election of prefects, or other
systems in place, the traditional setup allowed only for selection by
those in authority. If you've read some of Roald Dahl's books about his
schooldays, this might seem more natural for you. But they don't have
cheerleaders for school sports, or graduation at the end of school, or
proms, as a longstanding (i.e. more than a generation) tradition in
British schools - so why would JKR incorporate such things as standard
practise in the British wizarding world?


Heidi, occasionally wishing to be a Londoner since 1983