h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I find it odd that someone is questioning the validity of the Dalai Lama as not being representative when the choice the Tibetans have got at present is the completely undemocratic Chinese government.

The Chinese Government has "criticised" Gordon Brown for meeting with the Dalai Lama.

So what exactly did he gain from not letting him come to No. 10?

RF

Sorry, meant to include a link... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7418547.stm

RF

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absolute rulers who are too corupt and do not have thier peoples intrest at heart are soon ex rulers

nepal recently for example

we hear more about abuse of power coming from zimbabwe than we do from brunei

hereditery rulers are more aware these days that if they do not represent thier people, the people soon start shouting about the ballot box

ok ok. that is a false dichotomy. that i think the dalai lama is a purveyor of voodoo and therefore a charlatan, and that i can identify that he is not and has never been elected, and that i know enough of history to know the theocracy that once existed in tibet was a thoroughly rotten matter, doesn't mean i support what the chinese are doing there.

granting defacto head of state status to the dalai lama only distracts us from the fact that in order for there ever to be a democracy in tibet, the people you might want to assist there, must first be democrats themselves.

and theocrazy has zero legitimacy in modern political discourse. i don't care whether it's creationists in alabama, islamists in iran or the priests in tibet. from an ethical standpoint these guys shouldn't be allowed at the table. ever.

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good on you Billy Boy "f**k the pope"

i think you might want to revise your opinion there

as a democraticlly elected head of state i think old Ratzy (Ben16)
is 100% legit

Democratically elected?

For a start, that's not officially what happens. Officially the Pope is the Pope because of God's will.

Secondly, the College of Cardinals a democracy does not make. Unless that is I'm living in some strange parallell world where the Catholic hierarchy is not by appointment.

its a small democracy

the cardinals are the only ones allowed to vote

and yes they are appointed, but how many native born citizens of the vatican city are there? when the entire population are clergy under a vow of chastity!! or migrant workers from rome....

No, by its not a democracy, its an oligarchy.

its an oligarchy.

????????????????

bit of a thicko no wiki

Didn't Bruin promise us a return to ethical politics when he moved up the pole ?

Didn't Bruin promise us a return to ethical politics when he moved up the pole ?

better still ....... move to the pole when we return to ethical politics