This blog does not plan to write about the tragic events in the Middle East. There are far more expert voices than this one. Although, one is curious to know more about the Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who is allegedly a billionaire living not in the Gaza Strip but Doha, Qatar, and why there have been no elections in the Gaza Strip since 2007.
On to three other topics of interest at least to the author:
The good – the election result in Poland
Poland’s opposition parties won enough seats in Sunday’s general election to take power from the Law and Justice (PiS) party which has ruled the country since 2015, confirmed by the National Electoral Commission on Tuesday morning. This is fantastic news. Poland was on a slippery slope to authoritarianism under the PiS, as it eroded the independence of the judiciary and the media. A record turnout of nearly 75% ensured its defeat with women, young people, City dwellers and moderates generally voting in droves. It repels the anti-EU, anti-migration, anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric of the PiS. Good riddance to them.
Stunning result for Donald Tusk, likely to be Poland’s next Prime Minister
The bad – India’s Supreme Court rejects same sex marriage
Earlier this week, the Indian Supreme Court rejected the applications of 21 petitioners, including same-sex couples, trans people and associations for freedom to marry. The judges considered that they were not empowered to make such a decision and referred this responsibility to Parliament, as the government had wanted.
The hopes of the LGBTQ+ community were high, as India’s highest court had issued a landmark ruling in 2018 decriminalizing homosexuality. It is unlikely that Prime Minister Modi will initiate more liberal laws on marriage or, indeed, the rights of same-sex couples to adopt children, as he is illiberal himself and has shown hostility to any such initiatives. The judges were split on a number of issues, however, and one hopes a change to India’s laws is only a matter of time.
The ugly – the election for Speaker of the House of Representatives in the US
The position remains vacant since hard-right Republicans ousted their own Kevin McCarthy recently. In pole position to take the role is the vile, pro-Trump Jim Jordan who has tried to bully colleagues into voting for him. He has failed twice, and his prospects are fading. Why does this matter? The House is essentially frozen without a Speaker in the midst of an international crisis and an imminent government shutdown over budgets. The Speaker is also third in-line to the Presidency. One hopes moderate Republicans finally discover their voice and prevail.
That’s it for now. UK politics is somewhat becalmed by consensus on the Middle East although there are some interesting by-elections today which will give further pointers to the likely outcome of a General Election.
Inside Right Politics 