Will England’s Conservative Party Return to Parliamentary Power?
Almost 29 years ago, the world was enchanted by the fairytale wedding of Lady Diana Spencer to Charles, Prince of Wales. The opulent event was broadcast globally, and Americans hung on every detail from the flowers to Diana’s beautiful gown. Flash forward to today as the gossip shows buzz at the possibility of another royal wedding. The Daily Beast’s reports that Diana and Charles’ eldest son, Prince William, may be set for a June announcement of his engagement to longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton. Americans are, as usual, fascinated with the royal family.
Another big UK event passed this week with a perhaps a bit less notice on this side of the pond. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Gordon Brown met with the Queen to request that she dissolve parliament, formally scheduling a national election for May 6. Brown’s poll numbers have notoriously sagged for the past few years, and he waited until the eleventh hour to call the election. The polls indicate that his Labour Party will likely suffer a narrow defeat, losing grasp of leadership for the first time in over thirteen years. In this event, the Conservative Party, led by David Cameron, will come out of the wilderness.
So why should Americans care? At face value, an election in far-off Europe might not seem as exciting as a storybook royal engagement. And our own President Obama doesn’t seem to place much stock in our relationship with the United Kingdom. After all, he removed a bust of Winston Churchill from the Oval Office which had been given to us as a gift in the aftermath of 9/11. He gave Prime Minister Brown a set of DVDs as a gift upon their first meeting, whereas Brown gave the much more thoughtful gift of a desk set made from timbers of a Victorian anti-slave ship. On the UK side, a group of members of parliament recently released a report suggesting that the close British partnership with the U.S. needs to be reexamined.
Just how close is that partnership? In the days following World War II, Churchill made a speech in which he described a “special relationship” between the U.S. and UK. He was referring to our two nations’ shared history, culture, and language. But more importantly, he was invoking our shared security and prosperity and the fact that the two transatlantic friends have stood firm together in times of peril for generations. We continue to do so today in places like Afghanistan.
I dunno. . . if the “o” likes you, I probably wouldn’t.
Well, since Cameron isn’t really a Conservative, by any stretch of the imagination, I can see no reason at all why he and BO shouldn’t get along.
Obama’s rejection of the Churchill bust was easy to predict – Churchill’s early military career included fighting the Islamic “Caliphate” of Abdullah al-Taashi in the Sudan, and he never stopped championing the fight against aggressive Islam throughout his life. There was no way Obama could sit in the White House and pander to his many radical friends and America’s Islamic opponents with the bust of both an arch-Conservative and ant-Islamist on his desk, even if Churchill had been a staunch allie to FDR. As regards Cameron, Obama could be in for a surprise as Cammy seems to be more like smart operator Blair than Brown has ever been.
Suggestions that the UK election is important outside Britain are delusional and induce derisive laughter outside Britain. Inside Britain this election is important, except voters are being asked to choose one of the Three Stooges. Like all British politicians the essence of all the three main candidates is sophisticated incompetence.
Maybe Simon Cowell should launch a new TV program “Britain’s Got Prime Ministers” to discover more credible candidates. To everyone’s loss, Britain has a great past, a miserable present and a wretched future. A once great nation has fallen.
Obama appears to have an personal argument with British history. Don’t expect him to be friends with the Brits any time soon.
Amanda, as long as there are Americans who take their cues from the current occupant in the Oval Office, Michael Ledeen points out here, http://pajamasmedia.com/michaelledeen/2010/04/06/what-is-barack-obama/ and they are the one’s in charge, the special relationship that WSC referred to, will be relegated to the history books.
Daniel hannan has performed yeoman’s duty, especially since his 3 and a half minute rebuttal of Gordon Brown at the European Parliament in March, 2009, in making sure that the relationship between Great Britain and the US is based more than intersecting interests. But, the move is to be made by those inside the Beltway.
In the meantime, Whitehall and Downing Street had better implement Plan “B”, for the longer they are spurned by those inside the Beltway, the more mess there is to clean up for Plan “B” to clean up.
So long as the “Heath-en” tory Cameron is the leader as opposed to a Thatcherite, what difference will it make if the Conservatives take power?
And if Hannan is not running for a seat in the UK Parliament, why not?
The Conservatives have experience with forming government with one leader, and then replacing that leader with someone else, before the following election. Plus, this is true when the Conservative Party is in opposition. For how many leaders did the Conservative Party go through from John Major to David Cameron?
Not to put words in Daniel Hannan’s words, but I am positive that he is keeping his power dry, and if Cameron does not meet expectations, Hannan would have built up enough chits to sweep into Downing Street.
For, prior to Hannan’s dismantling of Brown in 3 and a half minutes at the European Parliament, just over a year ago, who really knew him?
Plus, Hannan is firmly ensconced as the policy chief of the British Conservative Party, so if he isn’t listened to by enough of the British Conservative Party, he will fight for his convictions within the party. If he prevails, great, if not, the fight will continue outside the British Conservative Party.
Who cares they are just Nu Liebour LITE!!!!!!!!!! You cannot get a cigarette paper between the left wing SOCIALIST Policies of Labour and the left wing SOCIALIST Policies of the Tories.
The UK is a complete PC,MC , moonbat Islamophile basket case and well on its way to being a Socialist Third world Bankrupt Police State Multi Culti cesspit. . Which is EXACTLY where Obama is taking you Amerika.