Lower Whingeing
06-11-2003, 05:55
What a year it's been in Lower Whingeing. This little republic has witnessed more scandals in the last three weeks than most nations experience in fifty years, involving the three main political parties and people at all levels of government.
Former presidential candidate and leader of the right-wing Freedom Party, Stuart Campbell, resigned Monday after his recent arrest for driving while intoxicated led to revelations about spousal abuse, corporate kickbacks, and tampering with police investigations. The alleged crimes occurred while he was mayor of Upper Lothing. Both Campbell and the spokesman for the party refused to comment on the new charges.
This new arrest was on the heels of that of four party members for conspiring to murder Justice Neville Black, who had been trying another case against the Freedom Party in Bickering.
The Cabinet of Prime Minister, Henry Fennerman (Centrist Party), lost some more members as the Ministry of Infrastructure Development lost its head, Lawrence Quigley, the Minister of State for Transport, Godfrey Humbert, and the Secretary of State for Air Transport, Leslie Pinkering, in an elaborate network of bribes involving two major international aeronautics companies. The three received about $10 million (35 million plaintes) to help them decide which planes to buy. Meanwhile, Whingeair, the national airline, remains grounded after four of its ancient aircraft crashed within two weeks.
It got worse on Tuesday when police arrested the Minister of Human Resources Development, Adrian Lowell, for distributing and procuring child pornography. Lowell, a former high school principal, declared no knowledge of the offending material, despite being arrested while soliciting images online from police officers.
The secretary-general of the left-wing Union Party, Nathaniel Kelly, was similarly embarrassed today after two members of the Official Opposition were arrested for soliciting prostitutes. Police investigations subsequently turned up links to organized crime. Both members have been expelled from the party.
One can only hope the winter will cool things off here.
Samantha Tam
Overseas Agencies Press [OAP], Inc.
Former presidential candidate and leader of the right-wing Freedom Party, Stuart Campbell, resigned Monday after his recent arrest for driving while intoxicated led to revelations about spousal abuse, corporate kickbacks, and tampering with police investigations. The alleged crimes occurred while he was mayor of Upper Lothing. Both Campbell and the spokesman for the party refused to comment on the new charges.
This new arrest was on the heels of that of four party members for conspiring to murder Justice Neville Black, who had been trying another case against the Freedom Party in Bickering.
The Cabinet of Prime Minister, Henry Fennerman (Centrist Party), lost some more members as the Ministry of Infrastructure Development lost its head, Lawrence Quigley, the Minister of State for Transport, Godfrey Humbert, and the Secretary of State for Air Transport, Leslie Pinkering, in an elaborate network of bribes involving two major international aeronautics companies. The three received about $10 million (35 million plaintes) to help them decide which planes to buy. Meanwhile, Whingeair, the national airline, remains grounded after four of its ancient aircraft crashed within two weeks.
It got worse on Tuesday when police arrested the Minister of Human Resources Development, Adrian Lowell, for distributing and procuring child pornography. Lowell, a former high school principal, declared no knowledge of the offending material, despite being arrested while soliciting images online from police officers.
The secretary-general of the left-wing Union Party, Nathaniel Kelly, was similarly embarrassed today after two members of the Official Opposition were arrested for soliciting prostitutes. Police investigations subsequently turned up links to organized crime. Both members have been expelled from the party.
One can only hope the winter will cool things off here.
Samantha Tam
Overseas Agencies Press [OAP], Inc.