New Minister for Magic

[Groo]

Filch as MoM? what an ideal choice! he sure is one candidate who wont misuse his power ,as he doesnt have any in the first place lol

what about Umbridge's place? maybe Moaning Myrtle

[Athena Appleton]

I'm starting to lean away from Arthur now. He is an excellent wizard and well-liked, but looking at it from a magical point of view, he isn't that well known and many people might not think the head of an obscure almost unknown part of the MoM should become Minister.

He's not unknown, though... he's from an old pureblood family, even though he's not stuck-up about it. Just go through and count the number of people who greet him by name and treat him with respect. There's a lot more than it seems (mostly because the most notable character he deals with is totally rude to him). At the World Cup, in his office, anywhere other wizards assemble, they like and respect Arthur. I'm starting to lean towards what Ron says... he's in Muggle relations because he likes it. However, I think, if the opportunity arrived, he'd take a higher role.

[carsten]

If someone wants to become a politician, he needs a certain lust for power. I don't see that in Ron's dad.

[Athena Appleton]

welcome to Broomsticks and Owls, carsten!

Well... they have a "polititian" (I can't spell today, sorry) in office right now, and he's not doing a very good job... I think it's time for a non-polititian (:lol: I'm way off on the spelling of that word... what is it???) to take office and bring the people together.

Arthur doesn't have a lust for power (like Fudge, Malfoy, all the bad guys) but he does have a genuine desire to improve the state of the ministry. He is tactful, he's well-respected by people all over the ministry, he's powerful and he's well-known, but he doesn't have a stuck-on-himself attitude. I think he'd be grrrrrrrrrrreat!

[Moonstone]

Me think so Too.. Arthur for Minister over the Ministry!!

[Alice I]

Of all of the known characters I do think that Arthur makes the most sense for MoM.

He is, as Athena has pointed out, well known and well liked through out the ministry.
He is a very powerful wizard although he does not flaunt that power.
He is not afraid of other powerful wizards that many othet ministry wizards are afraid of. ie: Lucius Malfoy
He is fair and even handed, duh he has raised seven kids.
He has no predjustice against other magical or non-magical races.
And finally it would absolutly floor Lucius Malfoy and wipe that smug smile off his face.

[Groo]

i also think that Arthur will be MoM as he is a great guy, very fair and most apt to be at the highest post to work against Voldemort, being so close to DD.

But the most important reason is that him becoming MoM would be the best choice for JKR to keep the story fast-paced and interesting. i think Madam Bones would be a better choice for MoM as she is more experienced, looks more capable and just and is more respected than Arthur, but her becoming MoM would be sort of an anticlimax.

and by the way, as much as i think that arthur is capable and has authority, i dont think raising 7 kids can be considered as a yardstick for having authority enough to think of running a ministry.
i have known several people who looked like having authority at home or among friends but are different people when told to manage a big responsibility. i am not saying whether Arthur has it or not, all i am saying is only time will tell and we cant form conclusions from what we have seen of him so far

[Alice I]

and by the way, as much as i think that arthur is capable and has authority, i dont think raising 7 kids can be considered as a yardstick for having authority enough to think of running a ministry.

Well naturally you are allowed your own opinion but it would be beyond normal diffulcty to raise a passel of kids as head strong as the Weasleys.

Being a parent myself I have some insight into what kind of strength of character and natural authority that takes.

How many children have you raised?

[carsten]

:welcome: welcome to Broomsticks and Owls, carsten!

THANKS!

Arthur doesn't have a lust for power (like Fudge, Malfoy, all the bad guys) but he does have a genuine desire to improve the state of the ministry. He is tactful, he's well-respected by people all over the ministry, he's powerful and he's well-known, but he doesn't have a stuck-on-himself attitude. I think he'd be grrrrrrrrrrreat!

There is no denying: He is too soft, even in his own family. Molly does the hard part.

My favorite is Cedric Diggory's dad. This would bear a nice conflict with Harry. Arthur would be OK as an assistant with a nice title.

Carsten

[Groo]

How many children have you raised?

hehehe, you got me there

i am not saying raising kids does not require authority. it must be one hell of a job. what i am saying is that you cannot compare that kind of authority with the one required to run an entire ministry. if that was the case, being a parent would have been the prime criteria of being an administrator
these are two totally different things.

but i dont deny that i have no idea whatsoever of raising kids!! i shudder at the thought that i might have kids pulling my moustaches one day

[Groo]

How many children have you raised?

hehehe, you got me there

i am not saying raising kids does not require authority. it must be one hell of a job. what i am saying is that you cannot compare that kind of authority with the one required to run an entire ministry. if that was the case, being a parent would have been the prime criteria of being an administrator
these are two totally different things.

but i dont deny that i have no idea whatsoever of raising kids!! i shudder at the thought that i might have kids pulling my moustaches one day

[Athena Appleton]

walkin a thin, thin line there, Groo... Alice and I kinda jump on people who don't respect the immense responsibility and ability it takes to be a parent.

i think Madam Bones would be a better choice for MoM as she is more experienced, looks more capable and just and is more respected than Arthur, but her becoming MoM would be sort of an anticlimax.

Have you seen Madam Bones in more than one scene in the books? Do you have a book I don't know about where she for sure has extra experience, more capability and more respect? Everyone who is not a Death Eater that Arthur runs across speaks with him in a friendly way. I'm not saying Madam Bones isn't respected, capable, that kind of thing... just that we know basically nothing about her, except that she's more decent than most of the people on the Wizengamot and that she's Susan's aunt.

There is no denying: He is too soft, even in his own family. Molly does the hard part.

I don't know... I think it sometimes requires more authority to know when to pick your battles and not fly off the handle. Having a temper is not necessarily a good thing in a person high-up in government. I think the Weasley children know that if they do random little bad things, Molly will really really be angry with them, so they have some fear of her, but that if they did something REALLY wrong, that Arthur would be the one to deal with it, and I think they don't want Dad to step in. I mean, the biggest mistake any of the Weasley kids has done is when Percy got all high-handed and when he got Arthur riled up, he's basically not a part of the family anymore (something Molly, with her quick temper, would have done).

i am not saying raising kids does not require authority. it must be one hell of a job. what i am saying is that you cannot compare that kind of authority with the one required to run an entire ministry. if that was the case, being a parent would have been the prime criteria of being an administrator
these are two totally different things.

I might agree with you if Molly and Arthur had raised seven average children, or below-average children, but they didn't. They raised seven exceptional children (even Percy). All of them are very capable wizards, some of them have different priorities than Molly and Arthur might like them to have, but they are very talented, very powerful, and they all have strong moral fiber. I say "all" of them have strong moral fiber because, even if Percy was standing up for the wrong thing, he chose his side and stuck to it.

I have only two kids, and sometimes feel like it would be easier to govern a country. I promise, as someone who IS a parent, that running a family and running a country can't be THAT different. When you have kids, you can argue with us on this, but people who don't have kids never really grasp how much work it really is.

[carsten]

I have only two kids, and sometimes feel like it would be easier to govern a country. I promise, as someone who IS a parent, that running a family and running a country can't be THAT different. When you have kids, you can argue with us on this, but people who don't have kids never really grasp how much work it really is.

Confession time: I am having two kids.

I still feel there is a vast difference in the qualities needed for being a parent or a politician. For the family it is better to be a forgiving, patient yet firm parent. As a politician one is likely more on the passionate side of things: hungry for power, unforgiving to foes, slippery as an eel with your "fellows." In the family you are looking for the best of all, in politics (and it is a shame) people have an eye for their own advantage.

So Arthur isn't qualified in that regard. My favorite is still Diggory.

Carsten

[Athena Appleton]

but you're just describing a bad politician... that's what they have right now. You just described Fudge perfectly, and he completely messed things up. So I think the wizarding community is ready for someone completely the opposite of Fudge: Arthur Weasley!

And as far as Amos Diggory... come on... what special skills does he have? Being self-absorbed... rude... impolite to non-humans... and how is his experience in the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures going to help him in a Minister of Magic job? At least with the muggle relations Arthur has, that would help him, since very tactful communication with the Prime Minister will be needed while Voldemort is on the loose.

[Athena Appleton]

I know that Rowling is writing a strictly British story, but I can't help thinking about the way things happened in the seventies with the U.S. Presidents...

Nixon was a politician, in the way you described him. He lusted for power. He did things to make himself look good. Yeah, there were some good things there, like smoothing things over with China, but overall, he was the kind of politician you've described. There was a huge scandal involving Nixon, and he resigned.

Ford took over as President for a while, but he didn't last really long. He wasn't ever actually elected.

Then, out of the clear blue sky, comes Jimmy Carter, peanut farmer from Nowhere, USA. His campaign included him going door to door handing out brochures.

So, if we compare Fudge (the ultimate politician) to Nixon (the ultimate politician), and Weasley (the guy few people take seriously) and Carter (the guy few people took seriously) then it's not such a major stretch to think that someone who doesn't fit in your little box defining the politician could get in office.