A government without a head

[Fight_n_back]

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=337041&contrassID=2&subContrassID=3&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y

There is place for great concern in light of the
acute criticism voiced by Ephraim Halevy in this
week's Haaretz Magazine, regarding the functioning
of the prime minister and the way he makes policy
decisions. In the past year, says Halevy - who was
the confidant of six prime ministers and has just
resigned as head of the National Security Council
- there has been "an intolerable sense of
offhandedness in making fateful decisions" in the
Prime Minister's Bureau. "Things are happening
there that I can't explain," he says.

<snipo>
Indeed, Halevy's trenchant remarks would seem to
confirm a certain feeling that prevails among
many of those who are following Sharon's
activity. The sense they have is that the prime
minister is caught inside a kind of bubble of
functional lassitude and conceptual vacuity. He
is more passive than active. Initiative and
innovation in the policy realm, even at the
tactical level, are manifestly out of the
question.
<snippage>
Halevy notes justly that "anyone with eyes in
his head understands that we will not remain in
the Gaza Strip." This being so, it might have
been possible to consider a move in Gaza that
would thaw the situation and signal that Israel
is bent on a settlement. However, for that to
happen, even to think about some sort of
movement, there has to be willingness to think
anew and formulate new solutions. Prime
Minister Sharon is blatantly not displaying any
readiness or desire for this. The country, in
its melancholy situation, does not deserve
leadership like this - leadership that is
leading nowhere.
=============================

"functional lassitude " I think there is a pill for that...

[yuvalmadar]

1. Indeed, I believe he should be replaced

As soon as possible, problem is we have to wait to the next elections, and the Israelis maybe stupid enough to elect him again.

This man is not fit to be involved with politics, not to mention him being a prime minister.
He messes things up and does nothing but support himself and his family/friends.


I am ashamed to have him as a prime minister.

[Fight_n_back]

2. Gosh

Im sure glad no one like that is running this country....

[yuvalmadar]

3. What country is that?

[Violet_Crumble]

4. If I was going to take a guess...

Which I'm not, because I already know, I'd say Yang was in the US and talking about Bush. I'm in Australia, though, and it could equally apply to us right now. I'm only guessing on this bit, because I'm not as familiar as I'd like to be with the US or Israeli political system, but I'm thinking the power and the 'offhandedness to make fateful decisions' the Israel PM has might be pretty similar to the power our own PM has when it comes to matters of national security. Because I'm a bit drunk and lazy and have an essay that I've barely started due in on Monday, is there an online version of The Israeli Political System For Dummies that I could take a squizz at? I'm interested in finding out more about how Israeli politics works, but right now I'm kind of thinking that I'm on the right track when I look at the Israeli political system being more similar to the one here than to the US one....

Violet...

[Darranar]

5. I understand the basics...

in which I believe it is similar to almost every multiparty parliementary system. Israel's is modeled after Britian's, as are the parliamentary systems of many nations. Where I have trouble is what decisions the cabinet can make and what decisions the Knesset can make.

[rini]

6. Israeli

system is based on the Brits.