Little Fish

It's a pleasure to be a little fish, but while evading the sharks and barracudas, this "Nemo" can't help but wonder at the machine-like nature of New Albany politics.

Anyone paying attention will certainly have noticed that a remarkable number of "resignations" have been handed in, swamped by the self-proclaimed inevitability of a new England regime.

Let's call it the "English Restoration."

(From WikiEverything) The English Restoration, or simply The Restoration, was an episode in the history of Britain beginning in 1660 when the English monarchy, Scottish monarchy and Irish monarchy were restored under King Charles II after the English Civil War. The term Restoration may apply both to the actual event by which the monarchy was restored, and to the period immediately following the accession of Charles II.

The Protectorate, which had preceded the Restoration and followed the Commonwealth, might have continued if Oliver Cromwell's son Richard, who was made Lord Protector on his father's death, had been capable of carrying on his father's policies. Richard Cromwell's main weakness was that he did not have the confidence of the army. After seven months the army removed him and on 6 May 1659 it reinstalled the Rump Parliament. Charles Fleetwood was appointed a member of the Committee of Safety and of the Council of State, and one of the seven commissioners for the army. On 9 June 1659 he was nominated lord-general (commander-in-chief) of the army. However, his power was undermined in parliament, which chose to disregard the army's authority in a similar fashion to the pre-Civil War parliament. The Commons on 12 October 1659, cashiered General John Lambert and other officers, and installed Fleetwood as chief of a military council under the authority of the speaker. The next day Lambert ordered that the doors of the House be shut and the members kept out. On 26 October a "Committee of Safety" was appointed, of which Fleetwood and Lambert were members. Lambert was appointed major-general of all the forces in England and Scotland, Fleetwood being general. Lambert was now sent, by the Committee of Safety, with a large force to meet George Monck, who was in command of the English forces in Scotland, and either negotiate with him or force him to come to terms.
It was into this atmosphere that Monck, the governor of Scotland under the Cromwells, marched south with his army from Scotland. Lambert's army began to desert him, and he returned to London almost alone. Monck marched to London unopposed. The Presbyterian members, excluded in Pride's Purge of 1648, were recalled and on 24 December the army restored the Long Parliament. Fleetwood was deprived of his command and ordered to appear before parliament to answer for his conduct. Lambert was sent to the Tower of London on 3 March 1660, from which he escaped a month later. Lambert tried to rekindle the civil war in favour of the Commonwealth by issuing a proclamation calling on all supporters of the "Good Old Cause" to rally on the battlefield of Edgehill. But he was recaptured by Colonel Richard Ingoldsby, a regicide who hoped to win a pardon by handing Lambert over to the new regime. Lambert was incarcerated and died in custody on Drake's Island in 1684.

On April 4, 1660, Charles II issued the Declaration of Breda, which made known the conditions of his acceptance of the crown of England. Monck organised the Convention Parliament, which met for the first time on April 25. On May 8 it proclaimed that King Charles II had been the lawful monarch since the execution of Charles I in January 1649.[1] Charles returned from exile, leaving The Hague on May 23 and landing at Dover on May 25.[2] He entered London on May 29, his birthday. To celebrate "his Majesty's Return to his Parliament" May 29 was made a public holiday, popularly known as Oak Apple Day.[3] He was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 23 April 1661.[2]

The Cavalier Parliament convened for the first time on May 8, 1661, and it would endure for over 17 years until its dissolution on January 24, 1679. Like its predecessor, it was overwhelmingly Royalist and is also known as the Pensionary Parliament for the many pensions it granted to adherents of the King.

OK. Enough.

Who are the Cavaliers who expect to prosper under an England restoration?

What promises have been made to those who can "deliver" a bloc of votes? What have Doug and his courtiers promised to Danny Coffey? How about party turncoat Bill Schmidt, who can reliably deliver "absentee" votes with a sacramental blessing?

Or Glenn Hancock, judiciary luminary but previously an England confidante? Or Bill (and Steve) Lohmeyer, the senior of which presides over the Election Board? The Freiberger/Mills entente?

Don't get me wrong. Randy Hubbard has shown nothing in this campaign. It is pretty well established that he has no realistic desire to serve the city as its chief executive, and he's done everything possible to demonstrate that. His lack of enthusiasm has even given rise to speculation as to who might actually take office in the unlikely event of a GOP mayoral victory.

But Mr. England's clear confidence can't be completely unfounded. Imagine that both Ted Heavrin and Tom Pickett have pledged allegiance to the crown. What kind of promise brings that kind of synergy into play?

It's pretty ballsy to go around "firing" people before you've even won the election. But the England campaign seems to be doing so.

I understand party loyalty. Once incumbent Garner was ousted, it could be expected that the party elders would rally around the nominee.

But what do Warren Nash (past), Randy Stumler (present), and Dan Coffey (future) Democratic Party Chairmen have in common? Is support for England the only commonality?

In exchange for what? What promises have been made? And which will be kept? And most importantly, at what cost to the integrity of government?

This won't be a Regency. It's hard to believe it will be a Reformation. Is the Restoration an improvement, or the final throes of a corrupt machine?