The Political HP

[Barry Arrowsmith]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "Ashley" <kumayama at ...> wrote:
>
> --- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "Caius Marcius" <coriolan@>
> wrote:
> >
> > 
> > Univ. of Tennessee Prof. Benjamin Barton also gives a libertarian 
> > interpretation of HP
> > 
> > http://www.lashawnbarber.com/ffc/wp-content/SSRN-id830765.pdf
> > 
> > This essay was written after HBP, and is fairly lengthy 
> 
> I leave all of the above to preserve the links. Barton details the
> evidence over the first six books (and the last book provides
> additional examples) of the malignancy inherent in the MOM,
> essentially irrespective of its leader. 
> 
> So is it any wonder I find fault with her casual epilogue comments
> (Today Show interview) that the future careers of all three of the
> trio is in extended MOM service. Saccharine is actually too kind a
> term to apply to what she now presents.
> 

Nice essay, though her hope that HP will inculcate a lasting distrust 
of RW government in its readers is more than a little optimistic IMO.
Very few books have managed to achieve that. Nothing wrong with
planting a few suspicions subliminally, though - you really can't 
trust 'em. And if a few more authors come along and reinforce
the idea, who knows what might happen? Better, more responsive
governance perhaps? Dream on, Kneasy; dream on.

Wonder if she'll update it, given how the Ministry is depicted in DH?
A nasty dictator comes along and the bureaucratic machinery just rolls
over, changes the emphasis of its function and carries on with hardly 
a hiccup.  

Yes, there will be those like Arthur who'll do what they can from
the inside, but in reality it can't be much and ultimately the
system can replace them easily. They're watching him, certain that 
he'll make a slip sooner or later - then it'd be bye-bye Arthur and
"Morning, team! Meet the new manager." And a more reliable cog
is slipped into the machine.

Anyone know if in her comments Jo mentions what happens to
Umbridge? Bet she used the Nuremburg Defence  - "I was only
obeying orders." Sure. Didn't work then and shouldn't work now.
Nuke the bitch.

Kneasy