Meryl and Hilary

My admiration for Meryl Streep continues to grow. This Tribute to Hilary Clinton is quite wonderful and well worth watching
 Such depth of perception. Such articulateness. I really want to believe that this wasn't the work of a professional speechwriter, and it doesn't seem to be.

For all the greatness of his electioon, it is also the great sadness about Obama being elected that Hilary wasn't. But maybe she was saved the denigration that inevitably follows.

Does it really matter?

The big question about Sarah Palin is does it really matter who is the Vice President of the USA. Of course it does, as the memory of Lyndon Johnson will remind us, because when if the President dies then the VP becomes the President. And, however well you think she might or might not perform she would also be the Commander in Chief, and the one who would push any nuclear weapon button.
One of the great strengths about the American system is that it allows for a 'character' to be in the fairly innocuous post of VP, without too much of a worry that it will actually effect good government. Which is fine as long the VP doesn't become the Prez
What I think is interesting is that despite the fact that she was no doubt brought in to add a sense of the modern to the McCain campaign, to be seen as both young, energetic and (of course) a woman; she also exposes the one thing about McCain that the electorate is nervous about, and that is that he is an old man.
The talk about Palin is not... why shouldn't we have such a different VP?.... but what happen if the old man dies. Polling has it that up to one third of the electorate is troubled by this.
Now, I think that old people should not be discounted just because they are old ( I am fast becoming onesuch myself) but my work every day informs me that after 70 two things can happen.
One is that mature people can function really well, and can bring a tempered stability, wisdom and insight which is often lacking in the 30 and 40 year olds. But I also know that it is a mistake to assume that age brings wisdom automatically, I can think of at least two cases where 'elders' in our own community just became more and more idiotic.
The Second factor is, that despite our desire to the contrary, there is nevertheless an inevitability that the chance of people undergoing rapid decline in, say, any given six month period is obviously much greater. That is, we can be fine one month and by Christmas be out of it. We can go on for years and then suddenly undergo a decline whioch may at first be denied, or take a litttle while to pin down...may the world be protected from a declining leader who has the authority to crash the world economy, invade countries or blow the whole show up.

Falling on your sword

What a good book the present electoral campaign will make in 12 months time!
Chief amongst the observations will be the analysis of how seasoned political players, the PM included, could so badly misjudge electoral intelligence. Evidence for this might be:

• How foolish is it for JH to tell the electorate who the next leader of the parliamentary Liberal will be, breaching all notions of democracy; as if it is some sort of patronage gift!
• The real hubris of out-of-control Liberals in NSW who, in becoming more and more desperate, should finally play the disgusting race-religion card
• The bizarre commentary (equally desperate) of Jackie Kelly that this is a joke.
• The waste of the ante-penultimate day (the day before-the day before) to this side issue
• Pleased to see the absolute disgust of the most senior TV commentator, Laurie Oakes, as he displayed his incredulity at how Kelly could be so stupid!
• Good to see the PM repudiate the trick, but what else could he do.

All in all, it is surely all over bar the shouting!

Not very pointy

Although other, non-Anglican, Churches often say of us that we are very 'hierarchical'. It's not really true. We have an hierarchy, but it's only got two or three levels. There is the Bishop, the clergy (and maybe one division within that group- the in and the out perhaps!) and the laity.

In a way this is far more frought with danger than a multi-levelled hierarchy like the army. Because it means, in reality, unless you are careful the top level can subsume almost everything it wants. It can take power unto itself, and even create authority lines that don't really exist.

This can work really well, and particularly in the country where resources are often slight, it can operate as a sort of benevolent dictatorship.

When it doesn't work well, like when the Bishop goes mad or begins to drink or starts to weaken under stress (all of which have happened in my living memory in different parts of this country) benevolent dictatorship rather breaks down.

So, it is sad to see the playing out of a fracas in our neighbouring Diocese of The Murray (here), where various people (clergy and lay) have gone to war with the Bishop and are seeking a Tribunal (here).

This process is clumsy, and is in the proces of being changed. It remains to be seen whether it can even be applied in this case. The Bishop in question doesn't think so, and the lay people who want it (I think) will find that it does not deliver what they want... the sacking of the Bishop.

There are and will be lots of lessons to learn from this. One of them will be that in a 'not so pointy' hierarchy, it does actually make a difference that you get the top right. 

In a multi-levelled structure there are always people at the next level who can be drawn up but that is not necessarily the case when the next level is fairly flat, and indeed many are the appointees of the leader concerned so may not achieve what 'removalists' want any way.

Poor old Diocese, poor old Bishop, but mainly I keep thinking poor old people of the Murray both churched and unchurched let down by hubris and infighting!