The helicopters buzzing above us on 3rd Avenue this morning might have brought home to the US that there is an election going on in the UK today (although of course the small bomb mght have had nothing to do with it, but it’s a bit of a coincidence). And in some sense it’s the campaign that probably shold have happened here last year. The main issue, despite his best efforts to focus on the economy, which is still strong, is Iraq and the lies Tony Blair apparently told to defend Britain’s involvement in the war, which has damaged the Labour Party and if there was an effective opposition, he would have probably lost. As it is, Labour will likely hang on.
Slightly strange that he should be taking all the heat, but I think that says something about the nature of politics in the UK. Even though the British people think their politics is all-spin and the election campaing proper is too drawn out – a whole month! – they should see the lack of open dialogue in the US, which meant that Iraq really didn’t become much of an issue in last year’s election. Historian Simon Schama (British, living in New York) goes over much the same ground in today’s Guardian which makes for interesting – and funny – reading.