I have also decided to boycott the World Cup in Qatar. A decision based on pragmatic reasons, not on moral fortitude. I have been in Kenya for weeks writing a new book here. The delivery deadline is approaching and I must try to avoid any interruptions. It’s not easy. There was a time when remoteness was very helpful in book writing.
Now almost no place is safe from a flood of information. Thanks to modern technology, unfortunately I can load any newspaper onto my iPad. In particular, the spectacle surrounding the replacement of poor British Prime Minister Liz Truss tempts people to read the newspaper in the morning as it offers great entertainment and potential distraction.
“Now as we celebrate Rishi Sunak’s resurrection,
this is a good opportunity to honestly ask yourself the question:
Is something like that possible for us too? ”
I’ve always had a soft spot for British politics – for spectacle. That the choice fell on Rishi Sunak is incredible. Now Great Britain stands there as a country that also offers despised minorities a chance to get ahead – after all, Sunak is not only a multi-millionaire, but a former Goldman Sachs banker as well. Sunak is also a student at Winchester College.
A boarding school with a first-class academic reputation, whose graduates thus far (with one exception in the early 19th century) have only managed to become second-class experts and never leaders. For His Majesty’s Government, the rule of thumb is always that it is made up of imaginary Eton graduates composed, clever Winchester graduates tell you where to go. Now it’s the other way around!
Victory in the former colony
It should also be noted that Britain now has a Christian head of state, a Hindu head of government and a having a Muslim as mayor of the capital. So much diversity had to imitate them first! To distract myself from my time-consuming tasks as much as possible, I even let myself have the fun of downloading Indian newspapers to my iPad to see how people in the subcontinent react to Sunak’s election. The joy is great. An Indian government spokesman exclaimed: “At the Diwali festival, Rishi Sunak made history. He is now the first British Prime Minister of Indian origin, a Hindu! Who would have thought that 75 years after India’s independence, the situation would finally turn around!”
India’s Hindu government is religiously intolerant
An aperçu that backfired. Those who do not belong to India’s Hindu majority are consistently barred from advancing in public service or politics. Since Narendra Modi ruled, Muslims and Christians faced severe retaliation and persecution.
So I like the thoughtful comments of the opposition Congress Party MP named Shashi Tharoor. He wrote: “Now that we are celebrating the rise of Rishi Sunak, this is a good opportunity to ask ourselves honestly: Is something like this possible in our country?” Diversity and the need to catch up are elsewhere.
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