Boris' Coup

瑞士朋友突然就說
意想不到，香港竟然比英國民主
我不明所以問為何（心裡點點生氣：你竟然把香港和英國比）
他說：議會停止運作了
我說：香港的也一樣啊

看一下新聞，那謂
proroguing

Johnson 用程序手段提早完結本屆議會，不讓議員拒絕通過 no deal brexit
（與香港政府想通過送中法案時繞過法案委員會一樣、與秘書處by circulation 叫議員表態投主席一樣）
unethical

然後我們便去抗議了

*
去到西敏議會外
人不是太多（見慣了香港的百萬百萬）
數千吧

警察設置了圍欄
但地方實在是小，圍欄也沒用處，contain 不了幾千的人
示威者在推、在動圍欄，方便其他示威者進出
一名在維持秩序的警察不滿，向推圍欄的人吐糟
朋友插嘴道：也不用這樣吧
（圍欄真是沒有在發揮作用啊）

叫啊叫
短暫的有聲音，很快就又乾站
時有汽車經過會響 honk

然後
然後

人數終於又多了一點，估了車路（一下子了）
跟著人群走在車路上
回到唐寧街
朋友自然跟大伙兒就坐在地上
叫啊叫
還有唱啊唱
甚麼
"Stop that coup"
"Boris out"
"Pound shop Trump"
"No one ever voted Bo~ris"
"General election now"
"General strike"
"This is what democracy looks like"

*
"No one voted for Bo~ris"

"This is what democracy looks like"
讓我印象深刻

supposedly 民主的英國選了 311/650 保守黨員入議會（也不是majority; only rule as a coalition）
愚蠢的 Cameron 2016 年不負責任的提出英國是否脫歐的公投
機會主義的 Boris Johnson 背棄保守黨反脫歐的立場，臨時轉身成了倡議脫歐的領頭人之一
同時保留保守黨黨員的身份
之後爬上了外相的位置，完全無能
今日竟就登上首相位置
now toying procedures to his personal advantage to attempt getting around parliament to make his no-deal brexit plan happen
真可恥
complete disregard and disrespect of parliamentary functions
parliamentarians are voted in, but "no one voted for Bo~ris," indeed!

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我也不知道 if "this is [really] what democracy looks like"
Democracy fails, sometimes quite often too
但倫敦的人們可以這樣 protest 己還我度羨慕不已
這樣 protest meaning -
they know Boris is the guy to take down - he is at least to a large part culpable for such manipulations (vis-a-vis HKers are protesting against the HK gov't which is really just a string puppet)
they can actually call for a general election, and they have seen change in the polity

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另話
有一個 placard 說 "It's about to go Hong Kong"

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So many friends telling me how they have admired Hong Kong protestors' courage, who have come out to protest against Chinese encroachment and police brutality, under so much police brutality
To me, they really have nothing more to lose - that's why. Utter, utter desperation for change.

Maybe the Brits are not out on the streets enough because they still have quite a lot to lose?

After sunrise and before sunset

6:54pm, 21 August 2019

So I am usually graced with two periods of sunlight in my room every day (on a sunny day that is).
First time in the morning, starting even before I am up (because I am still jobless).
My understanding is that this window faces the Southeast -
so from the sleeper / window-looker's perspective, the sun goes from the left to the right.
The balm inside the room from the right to the left.
(Oh the beautiful shadows!)
It doesn't quite touch the antique (let me call it antique) wardrobe and the ikea chest -
maybe not even the study and the whole of the wall with the door.
Just the whole bed, from its end to its head (without a board).
Covering the other old cupboard (without cups) and the wooden case now with Ollie on it.
Oh I said two periods. That was the first.

The second (look at the photo),
comes from the reflection of the high(er)rise (sorry this is maybe medium rise to us).
Thanks, tall building with big window panes!
So in the late afternoon again (at least in the summer),
I get the second sun embrace.

And these are making me very happy.

(My flatmate says I have the warmest room in the flat!)

(I can be completely wrong with the directions)