USA, USA....

I have a view on the American presidential election - I imagine most of you do too. But is this a suitable topic for a blog which claims to be about current affairs in this country? I've touched on this before - in the world as it is today, what happens in other countries, and in particular the United States has a direct effect on us, so our current affairs are inextricably wrapped up with theirs. So yes, I think it is something which I can legitimately talk about - indeed, I think there is a powerful, if ultimately doomed argument that other countries should have some sort of say in the election. So what is my view? Well, in common I suspect with many Americans, I know what I don't want rather than what I do, and what I don't want is more of the same. I want to get away from the last eight years where America has played the role of the evangelical playground bully, with the approach of "I know what's right, and if you don't do as I say, I'll thump you". I have to say I have reservations about both candidates - and indeed also those who were eliminated earlier - but of the two on offer, only Obama seems to accept the need for a change of direction. Whether, if elected, he will be able to - or be allowed to - follow through on his promises is debatable, but if I had any say in the matter, I know where my vote would be going. And if only a small proportion of what has been reported about Sarah Palin is true, then the thought of her getting her hands anywhere near the levers of power is really, really scary.