I know I was a little sarcastic in my last election blog, but I have to say I'm genuinely excited by this - not just by the second Prime Ministerial debate but the whole furor leading up to the most important and unpredictable election happening in Europe right now.
The Labour Party has been in power for thirteen years under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Ironically, it looks like this middle-left party, essentially the equivalent to America's Democrats, has become the public opinion equivalent of the Republicans under G. W. Bush. Some pundits have predicted that the Conservative Party will have no trouble toppling Labour, owing to continued anger over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as over the explosion of bad press regarding Labour MP's expense accounts. (Many were found guilty of writing off everything from the construction of duck ponds on their property to porn website subscriptions. Not exaggerating.) Conservatives are further helped by the fact that their leader, David Cameron, looks like he has had a shit sometime in the past five years...
whereas Gordon Brown, frankly, not so much.
And yet, despite concerns of a Conservative landslide, it really does look now like the race is up for grabs, thanks to the efforts of Britain's third biggest party. This is the party until recently known as "The Who-Are-They-Kidding They-Haven't-a-Chance Liberal Democrats." Now they're simply known as the Lib Dems, or The Holy Shit Didn't See This Coming Party.
But you surely see them now. This is Nick Clegg, the Lib Dem leader. When he was interviewed on Newsnight eleven days ago, interviewer Jeremy Paxman began by saying, "Nick Clegg, let's first of all establish what planet we're on. You're not going to sit there, are you, and claim that you could be the next Prime Minister."
"I'd like to be the next Prime Minister," replied Clegg.
Paxman: "But you won't be as a result of this election."
Now, following the debate, he is being called the next Winston Churchill, and even the UK's Obama. Of course, some papers have managed to call him a Nazi as well.
I know my tone in the last blog about the first British televised Prime Ministerial debate was tinged with a bit of American snark. I think I was just trying to fit in as a blogger.
However, after having watched the maiden debate in its entirety, I'm genuinely gassed about this election, and a bit astounded at how much that puts me over the top on the dork-o-meter.
I thought the debate-virginal UK candidates really held their own... apart from 'Gas Bubbles' Brown, of course, who never once stopped looking like someone had just tread on his corns.
Yes, I know I tend to find ANYTHING British to be fascinating...
... but it's just so lovely to me to see this weirdly different nation of English-speaking people get so beautifully fired up over the state of their country.
Meanwhile, vegetable spread company Marmite, among the worst of British institutions, right behind Big Brother and the Munich Agreement, is getting ready to sue far-right British National Party over their using a picture of Marmite in one of its campaign ads.
THIS is what it's all about people! If this doesn't get the youth of America interested in international politics, I don't know what will!
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