I came to France with a simple golden rule; Go Native. Speak French, Act French, and Be French. Imagine then, the cognitive dissonance that came about when I was invited to McDonald’s; on the one hand, I was invited by a French person to join in, on the other hand it was to do something [...]
As Britain’s National Health Service approached its birthday, Daniel Hannan, a popular (within his party) Conservative appeared on Fox news and bemoaned the NHS as a 60 year long mistake: (Skip to 5.38 for the worst of it, not for the faint of temper) In the USA, “socialized medicine” is the label applied by Conservatives [...]
Today marks Barack Obama’s 100th day in the White House. I have no idea how or why we need to judge him at day 100, since its little more than a nice figure to look at. 3 months, perhaps. 6 months, I get. Days, I do not. Regardless, I’ve always been a cynical supporter of [...]
Obamamania will end in disappointment for all. Barack Obama’s media portrayal, persona and reception really are too good to be true, and the result will be hubris on his part and disillusionment on ours. While there is a feeling of inevitability (a word used advisedly) that Obama is the president-in-waiting, his image is also built [...]
George W. Bush has recently given what is expected to be his last State of the Union address. This is not a political obituary, but with all the coverage given to the presidential race currently, it seems as if the Bush clock has already expired. The tone of the address was much different to last [...]
The question raised by every political commentator this week comes from America; Will the USA elect its first black male, its first white female, or its forty-fourth rich white male, to the presidency? The answer is, of course, impossible to tell at this stage; the parties are in the process of choosing their candidates. The [...]
Over the past few weeks, we have seen two significant resignations from within the United States’ government. It may not seem particularly urgent, but the last time that happened in Westminster, it was Claire Short and Robin Cook who met their political ends. I would venture that Mr Cook’s resignation was one of the most [...]
