Elections and Presidents

I meant to blog this about the time we had our own election, resulting in the coalition but never got round to it.

The election here in the Philippines was much more noisy and hard to understand. It went on for 4 months, with every candidate having a song (most had the same one actually, No One, No one, but you) and absolutely no policies discussed at all.

The parties here don't mean anything or stand for anything, it is all about personalities. Otherwise how do you explain them electing a boxer to their congress? Or why did 8 million Filipinos vote for the ex-president Estrada who had only served 3 years of his term before being ousted because he was both useless and corrupt?

Also they have a book to fill in because they vote for President, V-P, several Senators, the local congressman, governor, vice-governor, provincial council, mayor,vice-mayor, municipality council - all at once with hundreds of candidates.

I suspect they just tick boxes at random!

Anyway we now have new President, Aquino, who has said he will fight corruption. I hope he succeeds. Unfortunately he is unlikely to succeed before next week when I have to renew my driving license at one of the most corrupt organisations here!!

Not looking forward to it at all.

House update

Everything has slowed down so much now. Currently ceilings to rooms are being put in. We are using plywood rather than the ceiling board we used in the cottage because that board has a limited lifespan apparently.

Windows are waiting till we can paint, the logistics are frightening. I am still hopeful it will be finished by September/October time. We will see.

The Prisoner

I have just finished watching (or falling asleep to) the ITV re-make of The Prisoner. I can truly say it was terrible. Yes, I remember that no one understood The Prisoner when it first came out though every one watched it avidly, certain that it would all come clear in the end, which it didn't. But it was excellent!

This remake was clunky, dull and seemed to miss the point entirely. It seemed to imply it was all dreamed by 2's wife who was on special drugs to keep her dreaming, until her son murdered her. Anyway 2 appeared to be 6's boss in the security firm for which he worked and which he went back to, I think. Whatever.

Bad doesn't get close to it!