Where we are and where we will be

Where we are and where we will be
The idea of Edinburgh is a combination of place, soul and symbolic leadership of a nation

Wednesday, 5 November 2008

Change and the parable of the plumber

So the change has begun. Barack Obama is President, (or will be on January 20th) and America will begin to steer another course away from the politics of greed and the playground bully. Or so we hope. There is huge expectation and faith in this man about whom we knew very little until 3 or 4 years ago...so let us pray...

John McCann, on the other hand, lost it looking for a plumber. His mistake was that, in his struggle to find a metaphor to speak of who he stood for, he used one that was not true. The plumbers name was not Joe and his "self made business" was not all it was claimed to be about. Barack Obama used metaphors to speak of a change like we have rarely seen in politics, metaphors that touched people deep in their souls. John McCann's metaphor suggested he didn't know what he was talking about and that's when it all started to go horribly wrong. An object lesson for anyone trying to speak up and speak out whatever the subject matter.

2 comments:

sage said...

Ewan, I was wondering what your take would be on the election. I'm glad to see Obama win, but at a meeting of area clergy this morning, I was in the minority.

Ewan said...

My view and the view of most brits is that Barack Obama is good news for America and for us. He represents a move away from the playground politics of "we're the superpower so you'll do what we say" and he represents change by his very being. AS one paper put it today, "suddenly its become cool to be an American again" Its been a long time since I heard that

Ewan

Surgery Times

1st Wed @ Piershill Library, 30 Piershill Terrace.
2nd Wed @ Craigentinny Community Centre, Loaning Rd.
3rd Wed @ Duddingston Primary School, Duddingston Rd.

All 7:15pm -7:45pm

and the last Sat. Lochend YWCA, 198 Restalrig Road South
12noon -1pm


(no appointment needed, all during school terms)
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