Pessimism and Politics can't be Partners

An optimist is someone who believes we are all moving towards a better world. 

A pessimist is someone who thinks we have already arrived. 

If there is one value a politician needs to have coursing through their veins in gallons, it is optimism.

If a politician is a defeatist they have no place in the political field.

They are a porcelain hammer. From the outside they look tough, solid and perhaps pragmatic, but on the inside weak and unwilling to fight and strive for better things and will shatter into a million pieces if tested. 

Of course, I’m leading up to something…

Step forward Alexander, Huang Chieh-cheng who recently said of the planned visit by Speaker of the House of Representatives, third in line to being the leader of the free world if anything happens to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, that her visit to Taiwan “will not directly and substantially help Taiwan's national defense and security." 

It’s hard to overstate the monumental irony that this was said by - wait for it - the KMT’s representative to the United States. 

Imagine for a moment professor pea-brain’s first meeting with important US officials to supposedly push for Taiwan’s better interests in the world. 

Perhaps in terms of closer integration with the world's most powerful nation and maybe at least trying to perhaps persuade them to maybe think about how else they can help to protect this small island of a mere 23 mln people from the giant bully that is China.

But no, he already thinks it's a lost cause. 

“Oh Hi guys, nice to meet you, this will be a short meeting because you know I have already said it won’t make any difference or change anything at all for Taiwan’s security or defense so I’ll just finish my coffee and have another of these lovely biscuits and be on my way, bye bye.”

Mr Alexander, Huang Chieh-cheng, I have two questions… 

1) What is the point of you, even as a minor political figure? 

2) Which KMT airhead appointed you to represent Taiwan in any way, shape or form in the United States if you have such a pathetically weak personality and defeatist attitude in terms of defending your own country?

It’s rare to encounter such stupidity. Not only publicly articulating that he is a politician who is defeated before he starts, insults the United States who already does a huge amount for Taiwan and even has its own laws on the subject, but to then go there as a so-called representative for Taiwan truly beggars belief. 

I guess he is running true to form given he’s said before that Trump was just being “polite” and “harmless” over Taiwan and “will not change the overall situation.” 

Or, “there are not many people in the international community that can help Taiwan.” (Yeah, right, like the world has done nothing for Ukraine...I seem to remember reading something a little different just recently.)

Or, even more absurd, “If the Kuomintang returns to power in 2024, the Communist Party jets will still circumnavigate Taiwan, because it is aimed at the actions of the United States” indicating he thinks US help is actually putting Taiwan in danger. 

If he and his party think this way, a vote for KMT is a vote for a party that actually wants the US to back off from any further help for Taiwan, a move which would result in China having an open goal to take over control of Taiwan.  

Maybe he has accidentally shown the KMT’s true colours and that is what they really want?

However you look at this, this man is as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike. He should go and sit in a soft chair by a sunny window somewhere and for a nurse to bring him a cup of milky tea from time to time to keep him happy. 

He should be kept away from mainstream politics, the US, and those who actually want better things for Taiwan and don’t want to just throw up their hands and give in to China. 

I’m all for pragmatism, but this is not what he is advocating.

It even goes beyond pessimism…it’s defeatism. 

This man has no place representing Taiwan abroad with such views. 

As a lifelong journalist, I’ve seen and written about some bad politicians in my time. 

But guys like this still have the ability to make me slap my forehead so hard I end up flat on my back. 

Tinkerty tonk…

 

Lost Property - Anyone seen the Mayor's brain?

Sigh.... our mindless and malfunctioning mayor has managed to blow another microchip and forced me to write something on a Sunday evening when I should be putting my feet up. 

He and his Thoughtless Moronic & Desperate (TMD) party seem to have insisted the government state a black and white policy on Covid, a staggeringly inane demand, which coming from a doctor defies belief.

Although being a one-trick pony (ie the one small thing he was apparently good at with heart conditions) I guess we might forgive him for not understanding the broader issues of actually running a country. 

On the other hand, perhaps we should not.

He seems to suggest the government should state one of two policies, being…

1) To close down all quarantine and personal protection protocols and live with Covid. 

2) To aim for zero Covid cases.

Deep breath, as it’s hard to emphasise the absurdity of such a demand. 

Zero cases is an impossibility, particularly of a modern scourge. 

Erstwhile killers like Smallpox and Tuberculosis (TB) have largely been eradicated from developed countries but after decades of work and vaccinations. They are still a huge problem in countries like India, to take but one example. 

Lifting all restrictions immediately is possible. Britain has done just that, but at the cost of a spike in infections to record levels, although hospitalisations and deaths are not rising due to the vaccination programme. 

However, that doesn’t mean people don’t get sick and have to stay off work, or get sick enough to tie up doctors in order to get prescription medication.

As a result of Covid infections, the British economy is suffering as workers are taking time off, and there have been big issues with anything from truck driver to nursing staff shortages causing huge logistical problems.

Remember, when even a single worker takes a day off sick, the economy of a country suffers in terms of production and output.  

In Taiwan, which has an enviable record of handling Covid, I would guess the government doesn’t want to throw all its good work away by risking hurting the economy by allowing a spike in cases and having to deal with a big hit to production and output.

There is no black and while policy with Covid policy as Dr Dismal seems to think. It is naive to believe otherwise, and as a doctor he should know better. 

It is a shade of policy grey which needs careful consideration and a well timed and gradual response. The government is clearly taking its foot off the gas with regards to Covid restrictions and rightly so.

It is balancing caution with the desire to get back to normal, while not wrecking other things, most particularly the economy. It is a slow, steady and pragmatic process and that is good governance.  

To demand they go one way or the other is simply ludicrous. As Mark Twain famously said “The Only Two Certainties In Life Are Death And Taxes.” 

The bottom line is this is desperate politics by the TMD who have no real substance as a party and are trying to attack something, in this case a government which has delivered a world beating response to Covid. 

It is a lost cause which only the most hardened and hard-headed of its supporters won’t be able to see through.   

I put a self-imposed scale of idiocy on the Doc as I’d only be getting three hours sleep a night if I had to respond to every one of his daft or idiotic pronouncements. 

It looks like I either have to revise my stupid scale, or hope his advisors sit him down - yes, perhaps with a cup of milky tea to keep him calm - and tell him what an idiot he is making of himself on a regular basis and help him at least say something sensible and constructive for a change. 

Tinkerty Tonk…    

Decent politicians...

(中文在下方)

I spotted a picture of the Health Minister sitting talking to a group of people which pretty much every publication here was using yesterday. I asked my COTC (Cat On The Ceiling) what it was all about and to my utter amazement - NOT - it was about him showing some understanding and empathy towards one of the guys who works for him. 

Having written only yesterday about politicians who lie, trick and disrespect voters, I now feel the need to put pay to the myth that to be a politician you have to be thick-skinned, demanding, aggressive and perhaps downright nasty to be successful. 

I was lucky enough to be successful in my career and worked for a huge global company that understood leadership and the balance of mindset required for successful leadership. 

Leadership is not about bullying or surviving, it’s about being accountable, having empathy and understanding or taking criticism and not complaining you are being ‘got at’. 

In short, it’s about being a decent human being and understanding, getting the best out of your team and doing the very best you can for people you have control over.  

Yes, sometimes you fire people, sometimes you give them huge pay rises. But it must be fair and there is always a balance.   

The COTC tells me some have commented that the Health Minister was at a party while his poor subordinate was not. I’m sorry, but anyone with that thought process is lacking intellect as it’s an argument that doesn’t stand up on any level. It’s impossible for any manager to know everything at all times. 

I remember one occasion I was sitting at home in Beijing watching TV when my South Korea bureau chief told me he’d been in the office 18 hours and could I persuade the Singapore filing desk to take over the stories his guys in the field were writing.

It’s hard to keep a handle on everything when you have a big team. In the Health Minister’s case it was someone asking to go and do some laundry. I have less excuse as my South Korean bureau chief wanted to get home to see his children before they went to bed. My Bad.  

My hope as an Adopted Brit is that we continue to see more politicians like the Health Minister and his colleagues running this country. Decent, honest and accountable leadership qualities are so important.

Tinkerty tonk…     

(Sorry there are no jokes in this one but I feel very strongly about this and I am disgusted with so many of the politicians around the world right now) 

今天我在和台灣相關的新聞上發現了一張衛福部長坐著和一群人交談的照片，到處都是，於是我問我家那頭總是氣噗噗黏在天花板上的貓(COTC，Cat On The Ceiling)這是怎麼回事。

令我驚訝的是，其實我一點也不驚訝，這是他提及屬下時表現出理解和同情的畫面。

昨天我才寫了一篇關於撒謊、欺騙和不尊重選民的政客的文章，彷彿要從政你就必須臉皮厚、總是要求別人、好鬥，更或許是要徹頭徹尾的讓人討厭才能一舉成名，現在我覺得有必要再說明一下。 

我很幸運在一家大型國際通訊社工作了三十多年，我的公司了解領導力的重要，為什麼需要成功的領導力，以及如何在工作和設身處地之間取得平衡。在我的職業生涯中，我還算小有成就。

領導力不是仗勢欺人或弱肉強食，而是關於負責任、有同理心和理解或接受批評，也不是總是抱怨你被針對了。簡而言之，領導者必須當一個體面正直而有同理心的人，進而讓你的團隊發揮出最好的一面，並且你得盡全力讓你管理的人得到最好的。是的，有時你得解僱人，有時你也給人巨額加薪，但這些都必須公平。

COTC 告訴我，網路上有些人批評衛福部長參加了聚會，而他可憐的下屬卻沒有，他必須去洗衣服。對不起，就這一件事任何如此思考的人都缺乏智慧，因為這是一個在任何層面都站不住腳的論點，因為任何管理者都不可能知道所有的事。

我記得有一次我坐在北京的家裡看電視，當時我是負責北亞的總編輯，正在處理大新聞的韓國分社社長告訴我，他已經在辦公室裡待了18個小時，希望我可以請新加坡編輯台接手處理韓國的新聞。

當你管理一個大團隊時，對每一件發生在屬下身上的事瞭若指掌幾乎不可能。在台灣衛福部長的例子裡，有人要求回家去洗衣服，在我的例子裡，我的韓國分社社長想在孩子們睡覺前回家看他們一眼。這些提出要求的人顯然已經累了，他們的上司同理他們並且協助。

作為一個被台灣收養的英國人，我希望我們能繼續看到更多此類政治人物，比如衛福部長和他的同事，讓他們管理這個國家。體面正直、誠實和負責任的領導素質非常重要。

抱歉這篇短文沒有笑話，但我對政治需要的正直體面(decency)感覺非常強烈，尤其現在我對世界上許多政客感到厭惡。

Tinkerty tonk…   掰掰。