Harry Potter may be the most read book of all time. J.K. Rowling somehow managed to appeal to just about every age group and culture with the magical series.
Readers are often left frustrated with characters in the book that seem to make everything worse. One particularly memorable moment comes when the Prime Minister, Cornelius Fudge, refuses to accept the reality of Voldemort’s return. Once a seemingly well-intentioned leader of the wizarding world, Fudge spends an entire book fighting the wrong battles due to his blindness. Throughout this book, and others, readers can learn some great lessons in Government.
Multiple News Sources are Important
The Daily Prophet was virtually the only paper the magical world had with any respectability. This left the paper free to pursue any agenda it wished, with that agenda often aligning closely with that of the misinformed prime minister. A vast majority of the wizarding world used the Prophet as their only source of news, making concealing Voldemort’s return, and spreading lies about Harry a simple task.
Freedom of Education
Another frustrating part of the fifth Harry Potter book comes when we see the ministry start pumping out educational decrees. They quickly use laws to place Dolores Umbridge in a teaching position at Hogwarts, then use additional laws to give her near-unlimited authority. Eventually those same laws allow the ministry to choose the next headmaster, giving them complete control over all student learning. The lesson learned is that there needs to be limits to government authority over education.
Less Centralized Power
In most first-world countries there is an attempt to separate power between multiple people and factions who represent different interests. This is by design, and keeps one person who may or may not have the people’s best interest in mind from becoming too powerful. We see Fudge have nearly complete control over the legislative system in London and we see the results in Dolores Umbridge, Lucius Malfoy, and other high-end ministry officials.
Oftentimes the Best Aren’t in Government
It is unfortunate that the best of society are sometimes not attracted to government work. This is seen throughout Harry Potter as Dumbledore, the obvious choice for minister of magic, refuses to accept the office. The office falls to Fudge, more through default than anything, leaving Fudge jealous of Dumbledore. This plays into his refusal to accept Dumbledore’s plea to believe Harry and join the fight against Voldemort.
Judicial Oversight
We see one bright spot in wizarding politics with the Wizengamot, wizarding Britain’s high court of law. Despite Fudge’s best attempts to get Harry kicked out of school with a broken wand, the court eventually rules in Harry’s favor, much to Fudge’s chagrin. This is exactly what judicial systems were meant to do and it is refreshing to see a good decision come from the Wizengamot.
Some have argued that Rowling is anti-government throughout the series. This is not the case. She simply brings about awareness to some of the potential situations that government corruption, if not controlled, can bring about.