Friday 30 October 2009

A week for pure Schadenfreude - mainly à la française

Sometimes I do worry that my spirituality is not quite up to scratch where compassion is concerned. This morning I kept shouting "good, good, good"in a somewhat over-excited fashion as the radio news led with headlines that Tony Blair is almost certainly not going to be the new European president. I do not want the man who rode sidecar to George W. Bush when invading Iraq to have any further role in politics. Now it seems he may have been thwarted I dare say he'll try to get a role as a "goodwill ambassador" somewhere. Tony, those of us who voted for you as PM wish you had listened to the voice of conscience rather more carefully than you seemed able to. People are getting killed today because of your lack of moral fibre. I am rather pleased that he has been outmanoeuvred by Angela Merkel.
Earlier this week there was a moment of joy when I heard that deeply unpleasant French politician Charles Pasqua had been sentenced to a year in prison for his role in illegal arms trading deals in Angola. You have no idea how rare it is for anyone in French politics to actually see the inside of a prison when found guilty.
Now today more Schadenfreude inhabits my doubtless deeply flawed soul as I learn that former French president Jacques Chirac is to stand trial for corruption. Yippee! He was lucky to get elected in 1995 and so escaped a trial at that point - presidents are exempt from legal proceedings while in office in France.
So is what I'm feeling Schadenfreude or is it just a reflection of that exaltation we see in the Magnificat?
He hath put down the mighty from their seat : and hath exalted the humble and meek.
Now I suppose my Freude would be complete if we could see the humble lifted high as well as the mighty cast down.

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