Fisticuffs from a more genteel era
The end of the year sees the papers – the UK rags at least – obsessively cobbling together lists. Top 10 This. Best of That. It’s mostly dross. But returning from a New Year’s Eve lunchtime Asahi (#1 on the Best Low-end 7-11 Beers list for 2010) this immediately drew my attention:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/gallery/2010/dec/17/1
As I tittered through the first couple of snaps, I was slowly gripped by a mild panic. Here I was on photo #4 and that internationally-renowned repository of parliamentary scufflery, our own dear Legislative Yuan, had yet to feature.
And, then, there it was – a vision of pandemonian beauty; admittedly not as dodgy and disorganized as the Nigerians, as brutish as the Ukrainians, or as film-noire shady as the Italians, but there in all its ramshackle-melee, bian-dang-at-10-paces glory, nonetheless.
With the Ukraine showing up in four of the eight photos, though, the New Year resolution for our honourable lawmakers: Must try harder.
Yeah, Taiwan’s slipping down the international rankings – what happened to the kung-fu suits, tear-gas and batons of yesteryear? Bring back Li Ao!
.-= FOARP´s last blog ..The Taiwanese green onion =-.
Li’s antics were the pinnacle. I remember proofing copy one of our locals had cobbled together from local media and CNA and it had an unrepetant Li (after teargas then releasing some livestock or something) in reference to whatever bill it was he was trying to scupper (probably the 48-odd-time-blocked arms procurement) vowing “to return with cockroaches, pole cats and killah (yes, our reporter really spelt it that way – maybe she Googled and got Wu Tang!) bees!” My West Indian colleague read it out and her accent and emphasis made it that much funnier: Killaaah Bees – suuuuuuuuu!
@JB – Li really shows the KMT’s roots as the party which is “representing for them gangstas all across the world” in the words of that immortal warrior-poet, Snoop Dogg. It’s just a pity that KMT dominance of the Legislative Yuan means they don’t have to resort to thug-life-style tactics to get their way anymore.
.-= FOARP´s last blog ..Chinas stealth fighter – my former students at work =-.
The DPP were just as bad, if not worse, though they admittedly had fewer recognised heidao types in the Legislature.
As for Li, he was always actually an indie and, though a one-Chinaist, has given the KMT plenty of stick over the years.
He was one of the few waishenren to attack the Chiangs and demand freedom of expression in the martial law era and got banged up for a few years for his pains. He even helped pro-independence activist Peng ming-min escape the country.