Subject: Swearing in.

There seems to have been a glitch in proceedings.
As the House Master awaits, his pupils there is no sight. Have they absconded, or simply retired to the pub, it’s the oath taking ceremony in the House of Commons which has been proceeding slowly for 5 or more days since parliament was dissolved and a new government took its place. The clerks like commuters waiting for a missing bus stare hopefully across the Commons looking for sight of the recalcitrant MPs whose oath has to be taken and their name entered into the ledger.
It’s interesting to see the breadth of religious choice as each MP is offered the choice of which religious document they swear by. The King James Bible, vies with the Hindu Veda, the Koran with the Torah, it all reflects the diversity of our country. Every religious text was on display, Jeremy Corbyn was heard to say “it’s all a lot of non sense”whilst the clerks were off scurrying to find a Book of Mormon. Are we still allowed to ask “who are we”, or has diversity ruled out such a question, we certainly are not allowed to complain and must kneel to the throne of ‘inclusion’.
All these variations on the rights of representational politics, each fundamentally separate and each a challenge to the other. If it came to conflict who would they support or more importantly, undermine, the body of Parliament or their particular cohort.
It’s all a far cry from the USA where Donald Trump seems certain to win in the Presidential  Election. His Make America Great Again nearly came unstuck as  the constitutional act on the right to ‘bare arms’ nearly put a bullet in his brain. His running mate has suggested that Islam is having such an impact on this country, perhaps the geometry of their rockets might need tweaking to include us if the Islamic threat grows.
The power of the ballot box is brought into focus if, as seems likely, Trump defeats Biden. A man who few outside America respect is set to become the protector of these people and his distain must make Putin, Xi Jinping, and Kim Jong Un wring their hands in anticipation as fascism is reborn and Trump labelled a fascist since his profile fits.
With totalitarianism in full swing and Trumps disdain for democratic values the world is in for a rocky ride