Talking Politics (Sorta):

Well today is the day. It's Tony Blair's last day as Prime Minister and Gordon Brown's first. There is not as much excitement about this as I would have thought, but without a general election making Brown the Prime Minister I can see how the British people could distance themselves. In general it seems that Brown isn't loved, but he is certainly a breath of fresh air for the majority of the Brits who hate Blair. Blair certainly has a Bush-like appeal over here, which still surprises me. I like Tony Blair. I appreciate a leader who is as honest as possible and willing to work with others. Whether he was too close to Bush is not up to me to decide, but I respect a man who at least portrays a sense of always wanting to do right. The majority of my friends here do not like Blair. They do not agree with my views of him. And that's fair. They have lived with him for 10 years. I do believe 10 years is more than enough to run a country. In some cases 8 is too many. That is what perplexes me about the British system (at least the way I understand it). There is a general election, but it is not set every 4 years like ours. So, it could happen every 5-6 years, but not on a pre-determined time table. You essentially elect a party, and then the party's leader becomes Prime Minister. So, say the Democrats put Al Gore in charge of the Democratic party. With the recent majority in the House and Senate, under the British system, Gore would be President. I know some of my readers dread the thought, but that's the gist of the way it works here. This is definitely over-simplified, as probably is my understanding, but there you have it. I suppose I just want to take a moment and pause over this momentous occasion. A new Prime Minister means a world of change. Brown will most likely separate himself from Bush and the US. This means a lessening of support for our policies. Again, whether or not you agree with our policies doesn't really matter. It's a matter of world-wide support. And that support is always needed in a global world. I guess just check out the story on the change-over.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6243558.stm

Most importantly though, I wish we knew what went on when the Queen appoints a new Prime Minister! Now that would be news.

Cheers all,
Elizabeth