Happy Independence Day, India.

[verreauxi]

The Indian constitution is the 3rd longest in the world (behind Alabama and California) and since it was written in the early 50s, it incorporates aspects from many countries (e.g., USA, Australia) and the now defunct Soviet Union. The original document was hand-written. I remember this from reading about California's constitution, which is the 2nd longest.

 

[chicoazul]

A good set of lads. Pretty girls too. Happy Independence.

 

[chrismpw]

Hmm.
Have you been to India mate ?

They've basically swapped being ruled by Brits taking advantage of the general population for, what most Indians think is a different set of corrupt officialdom.

On the bright side, at least they can vote their own politicians out, and it is a damned sight better than it was.

'Sake, you've made me post something serious you git !

True enough. They copied our method of rule very accurately didn't they?

Sorry about you having to get serious, Woolly . Call the nurse over and ask her for some more meds.

 

[Eggs]

...happy birthday.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Totally agree mate, and I wouldn't make an argument for what was effectively a dictatorship, but neither would I pretend that life is much better for the majority of the Indian population than it might have been if colonial rule had continued for another 70 years.

Life isn't binary, there are just shades of grey.

It was probably the Belgians that forced Um Bongo on them.

 

[tsubaki]

Totally agree mate, and I wouldn't make an argument for what was effectively a dictatorship, but neither would I pretend that life is much better for the majority of the Indian population than it might have been if colonial rule had continued for another 70 years.

Life isn't binary, there are just shades of grey.

Life is much better for the majority of the Indian population, though - per capita GDP is way up, as is life expectancy and literacy rates. The tragedy of Partition is that if the country hadn't split into bits they'd probably be an actual superpower now, and the world would probably be a much safer place (assuming that the ISI didn't exist).

 

[a bell maul]

Life is much better for the majority of the Indian population, though - per capita GDP is way up, as is life expectancy and literacy rates. The tragedy of Partition is that if the country hadn't split into bits they'd probably be an actual superpower now, and the world would probably be a much safer place (assuming that the ISI didn't exist).

I think there might be a long bow you're drawing in that thesis.

 

[a bell maul]

But I won't dispute the injury, idiots like that Battenberg pillock (Charles' Great-Uncle was it?...Louis Mountbatten? ), suffered the Indian/Pakistan nascent nations

 

[Woolly Blue]

Life is much better for the majority of the Indian population, though - per capita GDP is way up, as is life expectancy and literacy rates. The tragedy of Partition is that if the country hadn't split into bits they'd probably be an actual superpower now, and the world would probably be a much safer place (assuming that the ISI didn't exist).

You might have missed the nuance of my post mate..

Life is indeed much better for the majority of the Indian population since partition and since it became a democracy ( 1951 or 52 ? ), but, over that timescale, the quality of life of most nations populations has improved, so no-one can, hand on heart, say how much of the improvement in your average Indian's life is a consequence of democracy and how much is down to a general rising of living standards across the world.

Don't get me wrong, a democracy, even a flawed democracy is better than being ruled from abroad, but when you speak to most Indians about their government, most of them will primarily be talking about how corrupt they are.