Constitutional Dark Clouds over Great Britain

Basically, at the very bottom of life, which seduces us all, there is only absurdity, and more absurdity. And maybe that's what gives us our joy for living, because the only thing that can defeat absurdity is lucidity.

Albert Camus

And absurd it seemed when an announcement was made today from the UK Government that, after the Chancellor was defeated by the House of Lords, the UK could slip into a "constitutional crisis".

The story, in short, goes like this: The Tory government wants to reform the tax credit system by sloshing them on the one hand, but on the other hand raising the minimum wage. Tories believe tax credits are unfair and costly. They introduced this new bill, a bill which was heavily opposed by the whole opposition. The biggest concern about the new bill was, that by abolishing tax credits the poorest of the poor would have been hit the hardest.

The bill went through the House of Commons, got a majority vote, and was passed to the House of Lords where it was expected to be nodded off, too. But it didn't! The Lords put in their veto and delayed the bill expecting an enquiry as to what the impact for the poorest households would have been in case the bill had been introduced. The Chancellor and Prime Minister were embarrassed and probably pissed off and announcements made publicly that the House of Lords overstepped their boundaries, hence possibly creating a constitutional crisis. 

In order to understand this whole issue better, there is a tradition dating back a bit more than 100 years that the House of Lords would not block any financial legislation. But it is a tradition, not the rule, nothing has ever been written down, and that's the important bit here. This is also why one can hear Tories say something along the line: How dare the non-elected House of Lords overrule the elected House of Commons! Yawn! Let me be honest here, I am so glad the Upper House did what they did. Not because I think the tax credit bill was unfair (I don't write about the bill as such), but because it shows victory of democracy and common sense! 

My alarm bells went off when I read the term "constitutional crisis" and that the government wanted to review the composition of members of the House of Lords and add a couple of Tories so they'd be silenced in the future. For me, this is the real crisis!

1st: There is not such a thing like a written constitution detailing exactly what the roles and responsibilities of both Houses of Parliament are. Traditions and a very fluid understanding of those competences are imminent and can barely be legally challenged by a "Constitutional Court of Justice", which also doesn't exist in the UK. What confidence can the public have in their government if Westminster can fudge their responsibilities according to their liking?  

2nd: Changing to composition of the Upper House just so they don't hinder the Lower House from making laws is in my understanding an act of treason. It reminds me of Putin becoming prime minister, only to become president again afterwards, and of Hitler flooding the Reichstag with Nazis and making laws to legalise dictatorship. This can't be right! 

What amazes me, whereas my own alarm bells ring like Big Ben on New Years Eve, the country seems to accept this and the press isn't overly concerned. Political Fudge Alert is on a minimum! And the Brits complain about the EU; duh! 

The House of Lords have already postponed several legislations in this legislative period. This is the only thing they can do really, postpone. But it's good enough to embarrass any government and have them revise previously passed bills by the Commons. This time the government speaks about constitutional crisis and threatens the Lords with reforms. Again. 

Let's hope those reforms, if they should ever come, which I doubt, are real ones and not just another drop of water onto a hot stone. Let's not forget what Albert Camus already said: Lucidity is the only thing that can defeat absurdity.   

ESTP - The Doer and Entrepreneur

Today I did one of those tests that bumped into me on Facebook. And this is the result: 

As an ESTP, your primary mode of living is focused externally, where you take things in via your five senses in a literal, concrete fashion. Your secondary mode is internal, where you deal with things rationally and logically.

ESTPs are outgoing, straight-shooting types. Enthusiastic and excitable, ESTPs are "doers" who live in the world of action. Blunt, straight-forward risk-takers, they are willing to plunge right into things and get their hands dirty. They live in the here-and-now, and place little importance on introspection or theory. The look at the facts of a situation, quickly decide what should be done, execute the action, and move on to the next thing.

ESTPs have an uncanny ability to perceive people's attitudes and motivations. They pick up on little cues which go completely unnoticed by most other types, such as facial expressions and stance. They're typically a couple of steps ahead of the person they're interacting with. ESTPs use this ability to get what they want out of a situation. Rules and laws are seen as guidelines for behavior, rather than mandates. If the ESTP has decided that something needs to be done, then their "do it and get on with it" attitude takes precedence over the rules. However, the ESTP tends to have their own strong belief in what's right and what's wrong, and will doggedly stick to their principles. The Rules of the Establishment may hold little value to the ESTP, but their own integrity mandates that they will not under any circumstances do something which they feel to be wrong.

ESTPs have a strong flair for drama and style. They're fast-moving, fast-talking people who have an appreciation for the finer things in life. They may be gamblers or spendthrifts. They're usually very good at story telling and improvising. They typically makes things up as they go along, rather than following a plan. They love to have fun, and are fun people to be around. They can sometimes be hurtful to others without being aware of it, as they generally do not know and may not care about the effect their words have on others. It's not that they don't care about people, it's that their decision-making process does not involve taking people's feelings into account. They make decisions based on facts and logic.

ESTP's least developed area is their intuitive side. They are impatient with theory, and see little use for it in their quest to "get things done". An ESTP will occasionally have strong intuitions which are often way off-base, but sometimes very lucid and positive. The ESTP does not trust their instincts, and is suspicious of other people's intuition as well.

The ESTP often has trouble in school, especially higher education which moves into realms where theory is more important. The ESTP gets bored with classes in which they feel they gain no useful material which can be used to get things done. The ESTP may be brilliantly intelligent, but school will be a difficult chore for them.

The ESTP needs to keep moving, and so does well in careers where he or she is not restricted or confined. ESTPs make extremely good salespersons. They will become stifled and unhappy dealing with routine chores. ESTPs have a natural abundance of energy and enthusiasm, which makes them natural entrepreneurs. They get very excited about things, and have the ability to motivate others to excitement and action. The can sell anyone on any idea. They are action-oriented, and make decisions quickly. All-in-all, they have extraordinary talents for getting things started. They are not usually so good at following through, and might leave those tasks to others. Mastering the art of following through is something which ESTPs should pay special attention to.

ESTPs are practical, observant, fun-loving, spontaneous risk-takers with an excellent ability to quickly improvise an innovative solution to a problem. They're enthusiastic and fun to be with, and are great motivators. If an ESTP recognizes their real talents and operates within those realms, they can accomplish truly exciting things.

Flüchtlinge

Last week, I visited my 93 years old grandmother in Germany and we talked politics and what's currently happening around the world. We obviously hit the topic of the current migration crisis affecting us in Europe. Suddenly, she said something which I think should be mentioned: 

"Towards the end of World War II, we had to take up more than 1 million refugees from East Prussia, and 80% of all houses were bombed and destroyed. Somehow we managed!"

My grandmother Grete (on the left) with her 3 sisters Helene, Anneliese and Else.

She told me about local government people entering each home deciding how many refugees each family must take. One could not refuse. Living rooms were vacated, everyone had to take on immigrants according to the size of the property. My grandmother told me that they (her parents and their 4 children) had to accommodate a family of 4. My great-grandmother, then shortly living in Kiel, had to give up her living room in her tiny flat accepting 2 women.

Refugees did not have to pay for their stay but were supposed to cook and take care for themselves as they, like the rest of the population, received food stamps. In certain rooms with no heating facilities, holes had to be drilled into the walls and ovens put up. 

This got me thinking. 

Of course, no state should enforce taking on refugees into private households, I don't even think it's legally possible. After all, we don't live in a dictatorship like my grandmother did during the war. All I want to say is, there is still so much we as a society can and should do if only we put in some effort. 

That's it, no further comment.