History of replacing prime ministers

The other week, while I was away, the prime minister of New Zealand resigned (and because she was Jacinda Ardern superstar, it was international news). The next day the new prime minister of New Zealand took office.  No year of delay. No lame interim leader. No vote-buying orgies. No corrupt multi-million-dollar campaigns with rules being rewritten and credentials rejigged in party backrooms. The people's elected representatives in the governing party met and considered who was best suited to seek the confidence of the elected Commons, and then the work of government proceeded without interruption.

This week another internationally prominent woman, Nicola Sturgeon, the government leader in Scotland, resigned. And the press does not seem able even to report when a new leader will emerge, or how.  Scotland isn't even self-governing yet, but it sounds like it's already it's gone all Canada on this matter. Pity.

If I'd been blogging yesterday, I'd have noticed the anniversary of the adoption of the Canadian flag in 1965. (Is it fair to guess that the rise of the flag and the decline of the monarchy have gone hand in hand throughout that period?) Canada has unfulfilled responsibilities, but it exists, and the flag that symbolizes that seems worth acknowledging.  Charlie Pachter too!

Update, February 23:  Dale Smith has an on-point tweet 

What did we do? We disengaged from the process, and listened to charlatans who kept insisting that Americanising our leadership contests was a good thing. https://t.co/s7HGkMAKnK

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) February 23, 2023