The voters of India are about to make Sonia Gandhi, born and raised an Italian Catholic, their Prime Minister. Which just goes to show that it is a funny old world, innit?

I think this is splendid. Apparently the socialists and other leftish types did rather well. If there's one thing India needs, it's socialism. Globalised capitalism has made India a software powerhouse, but very little of that has trickled down to the general populace: India is still rife with poverty, and lots of its people are still rural and agrarian. The distribution of wealth is horribly unjust. I think (and keep in mind that I know absolutely nothing about anything) that how the Indian people fare over the next several decades is going to have an immense impact on the future of humanity: India is already the world's largest democracy, and before too long will surpass China to boast the world's largest population. (Don't forget it's a nuclear power. And it has Bollywood.) If the Indian government could bring prosperity, health care, and education to the masses...

Well, we'll see, I suppose. We'll see.