Whither…

…the UN?
Now, Dear Readers, don’t assume that because our Carolyn’s chances of becoming the next UN Secretary General are now slim to none, your Eyewitness has become stricken with the sour grapes’ syndrome!! It’s just that he stumbled across this piece that claims the UN’s approaching its breaking point – after surviving the strain of proclaiming equality among nations while reserving vetoes for five countries to do WHATEVER they want!!
The fella’s proposed escape route is a new global forum built around BRICS, drawing on the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLC) – which your Eyewitness only learns about now!! – as a model of sovereign equality!! No permanent aristocracy; no exclusive veto club – and rules that might even apply to the people writing them!! Steady on…utopia??  We mustn’t frighten the international community with such revolutionary notions – but what has CPLC ever done??
To his credit, the fella identifies the exquisite obstacle to reform – changing the UN Charter requires the consent of the same five veto powers!! It’s like asking the old sugar planters to chair the committee on abolishing slavery!! What’s in it for them?? But we on the outside right now know that change has gotta come, and the only question is how!! Maybe if we put powerful states around a different table, they may discover why THEIR particular emergency requires everyone else’s understanding?? And so, include us??
The acid test would come when the proposed organisation had to discipline one of its heavyweight sponsors. Would equality survive the telephone call from the capital that pays the bills? Or would the secretariat suddenly discover the “virtues” of patience, dialogue and a further consultative process? Then there’s the dilemma of consensus, where if you give everybody the right to block a decision, you’ve created democratised obstruction!! Like with our local shared-government stalwarts’ utopia!!
Your Eyewitness’s prognosis is less a sudden funeral than a prolonged loss of authority. The danger is an institution that keeps its name, ceremonies and splendid vocabulary – while governments increasingly conduct the consequential business elsewhere!! For small countries like us, that’s gonna be no laughing matter, so we’ve got every reason to demand a stronger international system – but every reason to examine the replacement before applauding the demolition!! Small states need rules that restrain their neighbours, rather than assurances that the next collection of powerful friends are gonna be nicer!!
The fella’s right to challenge the lassitude surrounding reform, but the successor must answer the question the UN keeps dodging – what happens when the powerful refuse to comply? Until someone supplies a convincing answer, we risk replacing one diplomatic talk shop with another – even with a fresh logo, an inspiring declaration and excellent catering!!
So maybe it’s best Caroline’s being bypassed??

…Judicial forbearance
A cornered rat’s primary instinct is to run and hide, but if no escape route exists, it’s gonna do whatever it can do to escape – jump, lunge, or bite whatever is blocking its path!! Your Eyewitness – who’s had some experience with rats! – has even seen them puff up their fur, hiss, screech, or squeak to look larger and warn off a threat!!
Your Eyewitness was spurred into this meditation on cornered rats when he saw the latest move by Sanction Man’s well-paid troglodytes over social media. Realising their day of judgement is literally nigh, when he and his Daady are gonna face the Appellate Court – consisting of Chancellor George and two other justices – their hissing and screeching have reached a new, desperate, sickening crescendo!!
Imagine because one of the authoritative rulings (King) used as precedence in bias and extradition cases in our country was written by a previous Appellate Court with the present Chancellor’s father as then Chancellor – she should step aside!!
Hiss!! Hiss!! Squeak!!

…Sanctimonious Gangster’s ingratitude
At the passing of Robert Corbin – who literally made him President – the sanctimonious gangster gushed at the departed man’s statesmanship. But not a word because he slighted Corbin with no appointment after he became President!!