Shorthand Politics :: Wessex Scene Online

Shorthand Politics

22nd October 2007

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Jan 08 - Shorthand Politics
Apr 07 - Shorthand Politics
Dec 06 - The Banshee screams in West Virginia
Nov 05 - Bush's First Draft of the Iraqi Constitution
Oct 07 - Red vs Blue: 1

6 October: The nations of Australia and New Zealand burst into spontaneous and totally unexpected mourning. Though no explanation has been reached yet Professor Sherridan and Dr Chabal of the School of Hard Knocks are rumoured to have reached a working hypothesis.

In Russia, President Vladimir Putin has announced his decision to head the United Russia ticket at the next election. Though Mr Putin must step down as President after serving his second term, he has hinted that following the election he may become Prime Minister, allowing him to remain in power.

In Washington, Hilary Clinton continues to gain momentum with polls announcing a 33 point lead over her nearest rival Barrack Obama. This comes as Clinton also gained the upper hand in terms of fund raising. Despite this however some political analysts are still maintaining that the election is far to close to call.

In Myanmar, colloquially known as Burma, two weeks of pro democracy protests led by Buddhist monks was brutally put down, drawing criticism from world leaders. Though the death toll is reported as 10 diplomats have put the toll as much higher.

On the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, three days of fierce fighting has left 45 soldiers and 150 pro Taliban millitants dead. This comes just days after two suicide bombings in Kabul took the lives of 40 people, mainly local soldiers and policeman. The Taleban have claimed responsibility for the attack.

In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Gordon Brown ended months of debate this week by ruling out a November election. Though this decision has been roundly met with press criticism it has also been met with praise from some Labour party circles due to the expense of elections and the fact that it shows Mr Brown as unwilling to waver and call an election simply due to public pressure. However, with the Conservative Party under David Cameron capitalising on the decision and gaining a lead in the polls and Cameron himself seen as putting in a strong performance at the Conservative party Conference, some analysts are arguing that this could mean the end of "the Brown Bounce" which saw Mr Brown’s Labour party dominate the polls since his acceptance of office.

In Darfur, the town of Muhajiriya was attacked with heavy casualties. General Agwai, Commander of the seven thousand strong African Union peacekeepers, blamed government forces for the attack citing the use of aircraft.

According to UN figures, 200,000 people have been killed in the region since 2004, with a further two million forced from their homes.