It's the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine)

It's one of those mildly irritating songs. I can't remember the band's name that sang it, I can't remember any more of the lyrics other than the chorus, and I keep messing it up with another tune, but for some reason I always seem to sing those words to myself when the smelly stuff seems to be hitting the proverbial fan and slanking its way down the walls.

When I woke up on Sunday morning South Africa had a president. Granted, we can all say what we want about the country and its state of political affairs (chaos?), but I, like millions of the masses, managed to ignore it as things that seemed to be progressing in the way that we were used to. Then I read the papers. Oops. Seems we don't really have a president after all. I laughed it off after listening to his resignation address to the nation on Sunday night, and the subsequent reports by some intelligent nutty-looking professor type about how this is 'normal for a democracy' and how 'in other countries, heads of state come and go'. I felt much better, and shoved my head back in the sand and my arse high up in the air. After all, I have always been a keen supporter of noone but Uncle Trevor Manuel, and the man everybody loves to hate, Mr Tito Mboweni. No, I don't care what he earns either... do you see a sub-prime lending crisis in South Africa?!? As long as we had them, we were good to go for at least another 14 years of corruption, greed, and all other normal political playings in a fledgling democracy.

Imagine my suprise when I read that my favourite Uncle had resigned today. What? Somebody tell me that you are joking. Pretty please? The Rand plummeted through its own arsehole, the million remaining whites in the North Eastern suburbs started phoning emigration attornies and shipping companies, and I furiously tried to keep up with all the breaking news on every website I could think of. An hour later, he had said something like he is resigning as he was appointed at the pleasure of the (now, but only until Thursday) president, and in light of Mbeki's resignation that he had also resigned, but he would certainly be open to serving a new president and cabinet if asked to do so. Erm, I don't mean to jump the gun here, but for poo's sake, can somebody ask already? Quickly. Preferably with a smile.

Safe and secure with the 'knowledge' that Uncle Trev is going nowhere, and Mr Mboweni really likes his new salary so he ain't about to up and jump, I can gratefully assume the ostrich position. Don't slap my arse as you walk past please. It wobbles and makes me terribly upset.

PS. oooh! oooh! I googled it. How could I forget that it's classic R.E.M
PPS. What the hell did we do before Google?
PPPS. I really have no opinion on politics, I just find it fun to watch the effects on the rand performance everytime one of our dear politicians opens their mouths