ABDICATION
Should monarchs resign? Long ago, the question would have appeared absurd to most people. Kings (women were generally excluded) were chosen by God, ruled by God's favour, suffered defeats if they sinned, and were called by God to heaven at the appointed time. Against that background, abdicating would have been not just odd, but positively immoral.
True, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V chose to abdicate in 1555, some three years before his death. That was part of a complex inheritance settlement, in which he gave Spain and the Netherlands to his son Philip II, and the other Habsburg lands, plus the Imperial title, to his brother Ferdinand. Charles probably viewed it as an internal family matter rather than anything else.
In England, King Edward VIII abdicated in 1936, not long after he had come to the throne. That was because he insisted on marrying divorcee Wallis Simpson, a decision that was incompatible with his status as Head of the Church of England, which at the time did not allow divorced people to have a church wedding. The abdication caused a constitutional crisis, but the country probably ended up with a better king because of it.
However, one country that seems to have a history of abdications is Holland. It may be because it hasn't had a monarchy for very long (indeed, Philip II spent much of his reign trying to subdue rebellion in the Netherlands, a policy which eventually failed, and resulted in the establishment of one of the world's first republics); but all of its last three monarchs, all women, have abdicated. The latest, Queen Beatrix, did so today after 33 years on the throne, despite being a sprightly 75-year old and hugely popular. Her son, King Willem-Alexander, is the first Dutch king since 1890.
Queen Beatrix' stated reason for voluntarily giving up now was to allow younger blood to take over. This is an issue which will increasingly affect Europe's monarchies, for while Charles V became Emperor at the tender age of 19, Willem-Alexander, the continent's youngest monarch, is already 46. Britain's Queen is 87 and seems likely to keep going for some years, while many of the others, including Denmark's Queen Margrethe, are in their 60's and 70's. A raft of younger Princes and Princesses, many present in Amsterdam today, are ready to take over; should their elderly parents stand aside and let them?
My personal view is no. Once a monarch starts choosing when and how he/she completes their term, then it begins to look a lot more like a presidency; in which case, why not let the people have a say? Monarchy is, at bottom, slightly ridiculous (or, at least, anomalous); making it less ridiculous would in my view take away some of its mystique. Holland may be happy with a tradition of abdication, but Holland should remain the exception rather than the rule.
Walter Blotscher
Tuesday, 30 April 2013
Monday, 29 April 2013
GARDENING
It's still not really spring yet here in Denmark (the average temperature in April seems set to be the lowest for 25 years), but I am busy gardening. On Saturday my wife and I planted carrots and lettuces; and yesterday my mother-in-law came and cut down my rose plants, so that they will bloom even better. I mowed half of the hacienda on each day, so it is all looking nice and green.
All that is needed now is some sun. But that is not in my gift.
Walter Blotscher
It's still not really spring yet here in Denmark (the average temperature in April seems set to be the lowest for 25 years), but I am busy gardening. On Saturday my wife and I planted carrots and lettuces; and yesterday my mother-in-law came and cut down my rose plants, so that they will bloom even better. I mowed half of the hacienda on each day, so it is all looking nice and green.
All that is needed now is some sun. But that is not in my gift.
Walter Blotscher
Sunday, 28 April 2013
J.K.ROWLING
I have only ever read one Harry Potter book, the first in the series. It didn't do much for me, I have to admit. But the affairs of the boy wizard obviously do have an appeal, since the seven books have sold more than 450 million copies, been translated into 73 languages, and been turned into 8 films. There are not many authors in history who can beat that.
Three of the biggest admirers were my own children. Since we lived in Tanzania and then Denmark, I had to enlist my mother to buy the latest hardback copy in English, as soon as it came out, and send it on by post. Whereupon my eldest son would disappear for a couple of days, hand the book to my second son, who would do the same, and then finally to my daughter. The books got bigger and bigger, the last one being a real doorstep, but their enthusiasm remained undimmed.
Against that background, I approached J.K.Rowling's first non-Harry Potter book, The Casual Vacancy, with a degree of scepticism. Sure, she can write for children; but what about for adults? I was pleasantly surprised. The story, about the machinations of a local parish council, rattles along at a good pace and kept me interested (more than can be said for Ulysses, say, which I found almost unreadable). It was not great literature, but it was certainly not rubbish. If she writes another book for adults, then I will certainly read it.
Walter Blotscher
I have only ever read one Harry Potter book, the first in the series. It didn't do much for me, I have to admit. But the affairs of the boy wizard obviously do have an appeal, since the seven books have sold more than 450 million copies, been translated into 73 languages, and been turned into 8 films. There are not many authors in history who can beat that.
Three of the biggest admirers were my own children. Since we lived in Tanzania and then Denmark, I had to enlist my mother to buy the latest hardback copy in English, as soon as it came out, and send it on by post. Whereupon my eldest son would disappear for a couple of days, hand the book to my second son, who would do the same, and then finally to my daughter. The books got bigger and bigger, the last one being a real doorstep, but their enthusiasm remained undimmed.
Against that background, I approached J.K.Rowling's first non-Harry Potter book, The Casual Vacancy, with a degree of scepticism. Sure, she can write for children; but what about for adults? I was pleasantly surprised. The story, about the machinations of a local parish council, rattles along at a good pace and kept me interested (more than can be said for Ulysses, say, which I found almost unreadable). It was not great literature, but it was certainly not rubbish. If she writes another book for adults, then I will certainly read it.
Walter Blotscher
Saturday, 27 April 2013
SCHOOL REFORM (6)
On Thursday, the Government stepped into the middle of the dispute between the teachers and their local authority employers, imposed a settlement that was approved by Parliament yesterday in a speeded-up legislative process, and thereby ensured that children will go back to school on Monday after a forced absence of 4 weeks. That was a bit longer than I had expected, but the Government were keen to try and suggest that they would let "the Danish model" take its course.
The teachers feel that the Government has merely imposed the same settlement that the employers had wanted from the start. The existing rules on non-teaching work hours will be scrapped, decisions on how much preparation is needed for each subject will henceforth lie with the headmaster, and the special rule for 60-year old teachers (who have long been allowed to work four weeks a year less for the same pay until they retired) will be scrapped. The head of the teachers' union called the whole negotiating process a farce.
However, although the employers have won on the issue of principle, they have not got everything their own way. Headmasters will have the power to decide when and how non-teaching work will be carried out; but if it is done at weekends or other unusual times, then teachers will get large overtime payments. And although the special rule for 60-year olds will go, it will be phased out over a long period of time (only teachers who are younger than 50 will not be affected at all) and without any loss of pension rights. And there will be an extra Dkr.1 billion for training. In other words, the settlement will be expensive.
The next couple of months will be taken up with getting through the exams taken in the last year of school (one of the official reasons why the Government stepped in), so there should be a lull in the conflict. However, it is likely to blow up again as the Government begins to tackle the underlying reason for wanting to change teachers' working practices, namely in order to move to a greatly expanded school day similar to that in the U.K. Given teachers' widespread anger at the terms of the imposed settlement, agreement on this will not be easy. Expect more posts on this subject later this year.
Walter Blotscher
On Thursday, the Government stepped into the middle of the dispute between the teachers and their local authority employers, imposed a settlement that was approved by Parliament yesterday in a speeded-up legislative process, and thereby ensured that children will go back to school on Monday after a forced absence of 4 weeks. That was a bit longer than I had expected, but the Government were keen to try and suggest that they would let "the Danish model" take its course.
The teachers feel that the Government has merely imposed the same settlement that the employers had wanted from the start. The existing rules on non-teaching work hours will be scrapped, decisions on how much preparation is needed for each subject will henceforth lie with the headmaster, and the special rule for 60-year old teachers (who have long been allowed to work four weeks a year less for the same pay until they retired) will be scrapped. The head of the teachers' union called the whole negotiating process a farce.
However, although the employers have won on the issue of principle, they have not got everything their own way. Headmasters will have the power to decide when and how non-teaching work will be carried out; but if it is done at weekends or other unusual times, then teachers will get large overtime payments. And although the special rule for 60-year olds will go, it will be phased out over a long period of time (only teachers who are younger than 50 will not be affected at all) and without any loss of pension rights. And there will be an extra Dkr.1 billion for training. In other words, the settlement will be expensive.
The next couple of months will be taken up with getting through the exams taken in the last year of school (one of the official reasons why the Government stepped in), so there should be a lull in the conflict. However, it is likely to blow up again as the Government begins to tackle the underlying reason for wanting to change teachers' working practices, namely in order to move to a greatly expanded school day similar to that in the U.K. Given teachers' widespread anger at the terms of the imposed settlement, agreement on this will not be easy. Expect more posts on this subject later this year.
Walter Blotscher
Thursday, 25 April 2013
VARME HVEDER
Tomorrow is Store Bededag ("Big Prayer Day"), so this evening I was invited to eat varme hveder ("hot wheat buns") at my mother-in-law's.
In the olden days, Store Bededag involved real praying. So when the bells rung out, all work and trade had to stop. Including baking. The bakers adjusted by making wheat buns the night before, which their customers could warm up on the day itself.
Modern life being what it is, Danes are no longer prepared to wait until the next day for their treats, so the hveder are now eaten the night before. They are toasted in the oven and eaten either savoury, with cheese and sausage, or sweet with jam. I had four of them, two of each, washed down with strong coffee and a cleansing ale. I was particularly taken by my mother-in-law's boysenberry and blackcurrant jam, which I had never tasted before.
Since tomorrow is a prayer day, I think I will join in for a bit. I will be praying that it holds dry, while I lay my flagstones on the back lawn and then go for a cycle ride.
Walter Blotscher
Tomorrow is Store Bededag ("Big Prayer Day"), so this evening I was invited to eat varme hveder ("hot wheat buns") at my mother-in-law's.
In the olden days, Store Bededag involved real praying. So when the bells rung out, all work and trade had to stop. Including baking. The bakers adjusted by making wheat buns the night before, which their customers could warm up on the day itself.
Modern life being what it is, Danes are no longer prepared to wait until the next day for their treats, so the hveder are now eaten the night before. They are toasted in the oven and eaten either savoury, with cheese and sausage, or sweet with jam. I had four of them, two of each, washed down with strong coffee and a cleansing ale. I was particularly taken by my mother-in-law's boysenberry and blackcurrant jam, which I had never tasted before.
Since tomorrow is a prayer day, I think I will join in for a bit. I will be praying that it holds dry, while I lay my flagstones on the back lawn and then go for a cycle ride.
Walter Blotscher
Wednesday, 24 April 2013
CHAMPIONS' LEAGUE
The semi-finals of this year's football Champions' League have come down to a Germany v. Spain affair; Bayern Münich against Barcelona, and Dortmund against Real Madrid. The Spanish are the eternal favourites when it gets to this stage of the competition, but the Germans appear to be catching up. Last night Bayern won their first leg by a stunning 4-0, this evening Dortmund won 4-1. Although there are still second legs to be played, it looks like being an all-German final at Wembley, which is not what the bookmakers would have predicted a month ago.
Walter Blotscher
The semi-finals of this year's football Champions' League have come down to a Germany v. Spain affair; Bayern Münich against Barcelona, and Dortmund against Real Madrid. The Spanish are the eternal favourites when it gets to this stage of the competition, but the Germans appear to be catching up. Last night Bayern won their first leg by a stunning 4-0, this evening Dortmund won 4-1. Although there are still second legs to be played, it looks like being an all-German final at Wembley, which is not what the bookmakers would have predicted a month ago.
Walter Blotscher
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
GOING CHEAP
What do you do with derelict property? In Denmark, most houses in that condition are in rural areas. Young people move to the cities; and if they do come back when they start a family, they tend to want to build something new rather than live in a thatched farmhouse requiring oodles of maintenance. The solution is a dollop of central Government money to demolish the buildings, of which there are an estimated 10,000 or so.
However, creating a hole in an isolated field (which can then be grassed over or otherwise left to nature) is a different kettle of fish from creating a hole in the middle of a city. The U.K., which has the oldest average housing stock in Europe (a legacy of the fact that it was the first country to experience the Industrial Revolution), has lots of pockets of urban blight in old industrial cities. Boarded-up windows, graffiti, petty crime, rubbish and closing shops give an incentive for residents to try to move away, making the problem worse.
Some cities, starting with Liverpool and Stoke-on-Trent, have come up with a novel idea. The houses are offered for sale for £1, albeit with certain conditions. These can vary, but include obligations to do up the property (using a loan taken out from the local council) and to live there for a specified minimum length of time. By excluding rich people and those who already own another property, it encourages low-income families who might not otherwise be able to buy a house, and thereby increases the chances that property ownership will gradually grow into community.
This is an imaginative approach to what is a genuine problem. There is a housing shortage in the U.K., but there are also lots of empty properties. Trying to close that gap is worth the attempt.
Walter Blotscher
What do you do with derelict property? In Denmark, most houses in that condition are in rural areas. Young people move to the cities; and if they do come back when they start a family, they tend to want to build something new rather than live in a thatched farmhouse requiring oodles of maintenance. The solution is a dollop of central Government money to demolish the buildings, of which there are an estimated 10,000 or so.
However, creating a hole in an isolated field (which can then be grassed over or otherwise left to nature) is a different kettle of fish from creating a hole in the middle of a city. The U.K., which has the oldest average housing stock in Europe (a legacy of the fact that it was the first country to experience the Industrial Revolution), has lots of pockets of urban blight in old industrial cities. Boarded-up windows, graffiti, petty crime, rubbish and closing shops give an incentive for residents to try to move away, making the problem worse.
Some cities, starting with Liverpool and Stoke-on-Trent, have come up with a novel idea. The houses are offered for sale for £1, albeit with certain conditions. These can vary, but include obligations to do up the property (using a loan taken out from the local council) and to live there for a specified minimum length of time. By excluding rich people and those who already own another property, it encourages low-income families who might not otherwise be able to buy a house, and thereby increases the chances that property ownership will gradually grow into community.
This is an imaginative approach to what is a genuine problem. There is a housing shortage in the U.K., but there are also lots of empty properties. Trying to close that gap is worth the attempt.
Walter Blotscher
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
