Scratches

Comments on life, the universe and everything from an aging Sixties survivor.

Name:
Location: Massachusetts, United States

Ummm, isn't "about me" part of the point of the blog?

Thursday, May 05, 2005

More Ugly Americanism?

It seems like being dense about the working of foreign governments is a requirement for American media today.

I don't expect the local jamoke on the police beat to understand that Tony Blair is not "running for a third term." It does seem reasonable to expect world news reporters to understand it.

For the uninitiated: The Labour Party, not Blair alone, is contesting a national election. Whether they "win" or "lose" depends not upon Tony's good looks, but upon the ability of the party at the local level to return a majority to the House of Commons. If Labour doesn't keep a majority, Blair is out. It's a very simple concept, and one of the appeals of the parliamentary system. Apparently, it's too simple for our pundit-driven news organisations to grasp. They also seem puzzled by the idea of holding a general election in just six weeks, which is another attractive feature of parliamentary systems.

Grump.

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