More good news, Kings, women's rights, and Steve Jobs.


Last night Steve Jobs died but I couldn't care less so instead I'll write about something else.
Last week King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia announced women will have a right to vote in the 2015 local elections (not the elections that were running this week as this would be too big a shock and way too sudden, you gotta give it time so people can get used to the idea).

I read the news on the BBC on Tuesday last week and the article was just very dull and reporting facts and that's probably how the news should be reported but I read this and my mind went "wait, this is really funny in a way, they fail to mention such and such". Then I went home in Belgium and bought the weekly "Le Canard Enchaîné" which expressed my point of view in a way I couldn't have formulated better myself.

Saudi Arabia is supposedly run according to the Sharia Laws but I find it a bit hypocritical to say that since it is the only country in the World where women don't have the right to drive but guess what, cars did not exist when the Koran was written. So they say it's to be cautious blah blah blah. And I've heard the argument it is to protect women because driving is dangerous, cooking is also dangerous, I once burnt my stomach with boiling water. Apart from Saudi, all Islamic countries do allow women to drive...

So they can vote, but not drive.

But seriously, it is still a big step, women will be able to vote. That is if their male guardian will be kind enough to accompany them. Now we'll have to see if their choice is not imposed on them.
Location: Preston, Lancashire, UK

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