Shake-up at the Ministry

[sophierom]

No: HPFGUIDX 92243

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "ghinghapuss" 
<rredordead at a...> wrote:
> I'm not clear on who wrote this:
> > > The clincher is that JKR always has Hermione being right 
except when excited and Ron always being wrong except when joking.  
Ron joked about Gryffindor  having as much chance of wining the 
Quidditch cup as his dad becoming MoM.   Gryffindor won and so will 
the long shot Weasley.

> > > Kneasy
> > I agree with you but for slightly different reasons.
> > Two  clues from the chat can be tied to gether:
> > 1. There is a new Minister
> > 2. The Muggle world is starting to notice things.
> > This is likely  to cause problems for the Ministry.
> > Somebody will  have to take charge and sort  it out.
> > OK, who is the MoM expert on Muggles? Arthur.
> > Weasleys triumphant!
> 
> 
> Mandy here:
> I disagree for the reason that the WW is now at war and a strong 
> leader is needed to stop the WW from imploding and destroying it's 
> self.  As much as I love Arthur, is not a strong leader. In fact 
he is not a leader at all. This is not an insult, as some people are 
> just not born to lead.  DD will be called upon, whether he'll take 
> it or not, remains to be seen. Would DD put forward Weasley's name 
> in his place?  Perhaps. Although if he did, Arthur would simply be 
a puppet leader to DD himself.  And perhaps that's DD plan? But I 
just don't want to see Arthur used in that way.
>   
> Now if it were peace time I might be inclined to agree with you 
> all.  AW might be the best man for the job as far as his muggle 
> expertise is concerned. Although if I were a witch, I would not be 
> at all confident with a man who has an obsession with plugs 
> representing my interests to the muggles.  But unfortunately he 
does 
> appear to be the only man who has any interest in the outside the 
> WW. Which is another death blow to the WW, imo, but that's another 
> debate. 
> 
> It looks like the Office of Muggle Realations is going to get busy 
> in the next 2 books anyway.  Just don't make Arthur Weasly MOM if 
> you want the WW to exist after Harry's defeated LV.
> 
> Cheers, Mandy

Sophierom:

I'm not sure that AW is as weak a leader as we might think. First, 
we've seen him in mostly domestic situations. While you could argue 
that Arthur's weakness at home would signal a weakness as MoM, I 
think you can't automatically jump to that conclusion.  Arthur and 
Molly might have agreed that when it comes to the home, she is boss.

Another thing to consider is that Arthur lets people think he's 
weaker than he really is.  We see Arthur through Harry's eyes, and 
Arthur might put on a jollier (and sillier) face for Harry and his 
children that he does in the world outside his home.  I can't 
believe, for example, that Arthur can't really figure out how to use 
muggle money (if not in GOF, then certainly he could have learned by 
OotP).  But I think he acts a little dumb on purpose; he lets Harry 
take charge because Harry's the kid growing up, and Arthur is the 
father figure who wants to give his child some power and a sense of 
confidence.  This might not be the best example (how could using 
muggle money give Harry confidence, you might ask?), but I've known 
people who do little tiny things like that and, without me realizing 
it, I feel more sure of myself, more open, when I'm around them. 
This might actually be a good leadership technique; Arthur can make 
those under him feel like they are actually making decisions and 
serving a purpose, that they are not just following the leader.

Okay, all that being said in Arthur's defense, I actually do agree 
with Mandy: I don't think he would make a good Minister at this 
time.  I think, in a crisis situation such as this (and I believe 
Book 6 will contain a major catrosphe; now that LV can no longer 
manipulate legitmate channels of power like the MoM and the Daily 
Prophet, he'll turn to terrorism and mass murder), the WW will need 
someone who can appear strong.  Arthur can be strong, but he doesn't 
seem very strong. I do think the Minister should be someone we know, 
but s/he doesn't have to be someone we know well. So, my vote is for 
Kingsley Shacklebolt or Madame Bones (as has already been 
suggested). The WW might want to keep their best Aurors in the 
field, so perhaps Kingsley wouldn't be the best of choices, but then 
again, maybe his experience will allow him to lead the fight more 
effectively than could a minister who had no battlefield 
experience.  In either case, both of these characters have shown, in 
their very brief appearances, that they can be levelheaded and fair, 
good qualities for any leader.

Sophierom