The Honourable U.K. Prime Minister

-

Canada's Justin Trudeau visiting then U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron.

The famous London address 10 Downing Street, where prime ministers of the United Kingdom live currently has no tenant, after Boris Johnson resigned as the leader of the Conservative Party. There’s a two-way race for the position. Liz Truss wants to be prime minister, so does Rishi Sunak.

But we are forgetting a little detail, as tiny as a speck of dust. What is it? The title. The full title is Honourable Prime Minister. It is part of British parliamentary tradition to use ‘honourable’ which is ironic really, because there’s nothing honourable about politics. What is honour?

Scout’s Honour?

On my honour?

The honourable thing to do?

India honour killings?

Honour is subjective. It depends on who is talking. I swear on scout’s honour because I want you to trust me. Most likely, what I stand for is far from being honourable. Bollywood has made many movies about fathers and brothers in India killing women in the name of family honour. 

Toddlers are honourable, not politicians. It starts with their intention to run for office, entering the race and raising campaign funds. Britain colonized half of the world, so calling politicians ‘honourable’ is an export.

Nigeria turned British tradition upside down. They call politicians honourable but it is not a badge of honour. It implies corrupt, infidelity and other negative behaviour. There might be fist fights if you call somebody honourable.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Elections And Political Bullies

-
Image
Forget democracy.   It should be called political bullying. We are watching it in the prelude to the Canadian election on the 19 th of October, 2015.   Americans have also started their political bullying for the looming presidential election next year. So many trees wasted on books about democracy.   Some countries have big budgets for invading other countries ‘ to defend democracy’ but it is seldom practised in campaigning for elections.   Calling opponents names and printing flyers attacking each other is behaviour that will not be tolerated in kindergarten, but it is all legal, in campaigning.   It is irritating and such a let-down to the whole notion of democracy.   Grown-up men and women behaving like Grade One kids. It is also misleading because many voters believe it is real hatred.   Don’t let that fool you.   These politicians play golf together, attend the same dinner parties, eat and drink at the same social events, share jokes and cut deals in parliament.   They
Read more

Comfort Food As Regret Food

-
Image
Chicken curry. Comfort food is good for the soul, which usually bleeds in winter from icy roads, bad drivers that want to annihilate pedestrians, frozen fingers and toes that take a sabbatical.   What happened to my toes?   I thought I was wearing special socks for boots? We therefore have a right to comfort food which throws doctors’ orders out of the window and has no loyalty to calories.   No calculator on the table, thanks very much.   Piece of bread 5 calories, half a banana 10 calories, sugar-free cheesecake 2,000 calories.   Ah! Ah!  We only live once. Naw!   Comfort food is old school food with its compulsory second helping.   It involves licking fingers and giving a big sigh, about the good life, which is shelter, food, love and debt.   The problem is the zip.   The jeans remind you that comfort food can also be called you will regret food .   Home sweet home is even sweeter in winter after surviving blowing snow and bumper to bumper traffic. What is more welcoming th
Read more

No Air Miles

-
Image
I don’t have Air Miles.   I’m considering putting that on a T-Shirt because I cannot go to the drugstore (chemist) or coffee shop without the cashier asking me if I have air miles. We waited for about two minutes the other day, while this guy looked for his Air Miles card in his overweight wallet.   For what?   For a few points. I don’t have air miles because Mathematics is a foreign language.   I was never good in numbers. That is why I squashed the idea of being an investment banker very early in life.   I understand you can invest in cornfields before the soil is turned up or pork bellies even before a baby pig is born. That is how I view air miles, investing in tomorrow or the unknown.   I’m the dumb one.   Some people understand this air miles’ thing so well, I overheard one customer saying: I can even convert my points into cash. Points and air miles are the same thing in Canada and the U.S.   Drugstores or clothing stores even give you a card to collect point
Read more