Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Obi of Onitsha, Ooni Ogunwusi and HRH Sanusi as Growing National Brands

Ken:

 I agree with you that the UK  has features (I dont know about ALL) of western liberal democracies.  I have argued continually on the forum that the parliamentary system is different from the presidential system even though prime ministers from Margaret Thatcher have stealthily arrogated to themselves the mien and dispositions of a presidential mandate which they do not possess.

In a decisive show down Parliament led by the illustrious deputy prime minister  Lord Howe put Thatcher in her place without he succeeding her but replaced her in a palace coup by John Major (Remember this cannot hapoen in the US unless the President commits an impeachable offence.)

In the British parliamentary DEMOCRACY (not a theocracy as some would insinuate) it is the PARTY that the PEOPLE elect into office and the party can get rid of its leader if they are seen as not representing the collective responsibilities of the party well.

How the leader of the party is chosen and sustained is a different kettle of fish altogether and is individual party affair as the failed recent attempt to overthrow the incumbent Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has shown.

Yes, Her Majesty the Queen has REAL political powers which is rarely deployed as demonstrated in her capacity as the head of the British Commonwealth (which derives from her political powers as the British Sovereign). 

These powers were invoked by Her Majesty to save Nigeria from a blood bath from a war which in all probability would still be raging to this day consequent upon the scoundrel and  military dictator Ibrahim Babangida deciding that he would only be dislodged from his usurped position only in the event of defeat in a costly civil war.

Had the scoundrel not heeded the warning Her Majesty would simply have given her go ahead for her ruling prime minister to declare war on the usurper (leading Commonwealth forces) and flush him out.  

The scoundrel knew end game was in sight and  dismounted astride the shoulders of  the long suffering Nigerians.

The British monarchy is still intact because public opinion (and NOT God) wants it in place while the monarchy in mutual negotiations secures its position in the peoples mind by appropriate conduct.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

-------- Original message --------

From: Kenneth Harrow <harrow@msu.edu>

Date: 10/05/2017 19:10 (GMT+00:00)

To: usaafricadialogue <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>

Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Obi of Onitsha, Ooni Ogunwusi and HRH Sanusi as Growing National Brands

Dear obi,

You write below: "These relics of a narrow aristocracy exercising power over a vast mass of the untamed and powerless poor should be preserved only in the museum for tourists to remind us of how far man has come in his quest for freedom."

Isn't that actually the case in the u.k.?

The queen has no power, is only a monumental relic for the enormous tourist trade; the church has no role in the govt. and in fact, the citizens of England elect their members of parliament; it is entirely a representational republican form of democracy, with effectively all the same features as all other western liberal democracies.

ken 

 

 

Kenneth Harrow

Dept of English and Film Studies

Michigan State University

619 Red Cedar Rd

East Lansing, MI 48824

517-803-8839

harrow@msu.edu

http://www.english.msu.edu/people/faculty/kenneth-harrow/

 

From: usaafricadialogue <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Rex Marinus <rexmarinus@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: usaafricadialogue <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Date: Wednesday 10 May 2017 at 12:51
To: usaafricadialogue <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Obi of Onitsha, Ooni Ogunwusi and HRH Sanusi as Growing National Brands

 

These relics of a narrow aristocracy exercising power over a vast mass of the untamed and powerless poor should be preserved only in the museum for tourists to remind us of how far man has come in his quest for freedom. 

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