Prince Charles, a right charlie

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Jun 162010
 

There are many things wrong with Prince Charles. As a person, these are:

  • his tendency to espouse nonsense such as homeopathy and other pseudoscience, and to gain financially from such promotion.
  • his tendency for political interference, to meddle.

Of the above, his attachment to pseudosciences and other bunk demonstrate deficiencies in his critical thinking skills. It is for these reasons that I have previously called him a blithering idiot. I recognise that Prince Charles is what he is because of the circumstances forced upon him when he was growing up, that he is as much a victim as anything else. But he is what he is. And he takes great delight in that, and great delight in the huge sums of money that Duchy Originals makes for him in selling bunk. And for that he has earned no respect, no sympathy. I think David Mitchell’s article “Prince Charles isn’t a bad guy, but does that mean we have to listen to him?” is too respectful. Prince Charles’s position puts him in a highly influential piston, a position that he has not earned and which he as abused. He is a bad man.

There is another problem with Prince Charles; not so much of him as a person but of him being a member of the British Monarchy. Monarchies deserve no place in modern democracies. But many people do feel some romantic attachment to the Monarchy and I expect that it may take a very long time before there is constitutional change to finally remove this anachronism from British politics.

Some people argue that this would adversely impact the number of tourists visiting the UK. Perhaps. But I doubt that it will be a big impact. Tourists do not come to the UK expecting to see the Queen. Rather, I expect that one of their key reasons to visit the UK is to see palaces and the pomp and pomposity that surrounds that. Let’s be clear, all that can still be kept. But the head of state then becomes someone appointed to that role in a republic, perhaps rather like the way India or Germany appoints/elects a distinguished person to President; a person who has no real political role, but someone that people can look up to, someone who has earned the right to be respected.

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2010

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Obama’s handling of the Deepwater Horizon crises

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Jun 082010
 

The Deepwater Horizon crises is far from over, but there does seem to be light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve not had anything to say about Obama as I wanted to see what he would deliver at the end of his presidency and I’ve not been that interested in the internal politics of the USA. However, with all the publicity shown here in the UK and prompted by the BBC News “Have Your Say” How has Obama handled the Gulf oil spillage? at http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/haveyoursay/2010/06/how_has_obama_handled_the_gulf.html I felt that I needed to make a statement on my blog. Let’s get this out of the way; I’m British so there may be fair criticism that I am biased.

I think, for the first time, that I have been severely disappointed by Obama. His handling of the Deepwater Horizon crises, his posturing, his vehement attacks on BP, seem to all the world a political stance, a political show for the American public. Rather than work constructively with BP to resolve the crisis, he just inflames the situation. If BP were negligent then they should be punished. But that judgement should come afterwards and not now when all-hands-to-the-deck are needed and, certainly, it does seem that BP have been fully cooperative and not shirking their responsibilities. I would hope that FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) are, at least, working with BP. Halliburton, the company who were undertaking operations on the Deepwater Horizon, will also need to be called to task but there has been very little coverage of their role. The important thing is that BP have stepped up to the plate. Heads may certainly roll afterwards; perhaps in BP, perhaps in Halliburton, perhaps even in the US government with their regulators and inspectors. But let’s wait. Solve the crises. Fully investigate. Then prosecute. But the way Obama is acting you would think that he is judge, jury and executioner. Very disappointing.

Finally, my condolences go out to all the bereaved, to all the distressed. This has been a human tragedy as well as an ecological tragedy. There is nothing that I can say that can ease your pain and suffering but I do hope that you find justice.

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2010

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