- Newly elected Speakers of the House in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand get physically dragged to their new chair - once because the man who 'spoke' for the House would often have to say something the King wouldn't like to hear, who in turn tended to shoot the messenger. Now, they continue this only in jest. There's that, and the Sovereign's officer only known as 'Black Rod', whose job it is to announce the arrival of HM and to get the door slammed in his or her face to symbolize the independence of the legislature.
- The United States has... nothing whimsical like that aside from the Turkey pardon, but we do have a Senate desk that's been packed full of chocolate and candy since the 1960s, despite a rule against eating in the chamber. Similar to a public middle school, many of the other desks have the initials of several past and present Senators carved into them.
I'm making a more light-hearted discussion thread for once, where we can propose and imagine different political traditions and rituals involving the regular goings-on of legislatures and executives, or their elections and transitions of power. To kick it off, I offer:
In a land with a history of frequent and violent transitions of power like France or Latin America, once some political stability takes hold involving single term limits, there could emerge a tradition of black humor: the outgoing president or prime minister is marched into a public gathering or capitol building, where he stands tall until his peaceably elected successor participates in a mock firing squad of the former, who buckles at the knees or throws himself down to feign death, symbolizing the end of his power in that office.
- The United States has... nothing whimsical like that aside from the Turkey pardon, but we do have a Senate desk that's been packed full of chocolate and candy since the 1960s, despite a rule against eating in the chamber. Similar to a public middle school, many of the other desks have the initials of several past and present Senators carved into them.
I'm making a more light-hearted discussion thread for once, where we can propose and imagine different political traditions and rituals involving the regular goings-on of legislatures and executives, or their elections and transitions of power. To kick it off, I offer:
In a land with a history of frequent and violent transitions of power like France or Latin America, once some political stability takes hold involving single term limits, there could emerge a tradition of black humor: the outgoing president or prime minister is marched into a public gathering or capitol building, where he stands tall until his peaceably elected successor participates in a mock firing squad of the former, who buckles at the knees or throws himself down to feign death, symbolizing the end of his power in that office.
