My American odyssey comes to an end later today. I have spent three very interesting months in the DC area, during which I have learnt a great deal.
The political world in the US is in many ways very different to that of the UK. The vast sums of money pumped into politics is a prime example of this, the polarisation of public opinion on certain issues is another. However despite these differences there is a great deal we can learn from our cousins across the pond. We share a lot of the same values, but very few of the same successes. Let’s hope that can be changed before it’s too late.
3 comments:
interesting post.. i believe that in order to get the same funding here as that is available to politicians in the US the first step would be to form lobby groups whose primary aims extend beyond greenpeace.. but as someone once said in the US you need to be a millionaire to run for the senate and no modest man could run for office without powerful backers.. would that not occur in the UK too if money starts pouring into UK politics in the same manner??
also i have a comment on your article on conservative home.. Thought you may want to disagree with some of what I said.. or maybe not..
Thanks for the comment Tejus. I'm not so sure about the extent to which greater levels of funding in the UK political arena would impact on a poorer candidate's ability to run for office. Restrictions on campaign financing would at least prima facie seem to prevent such a situation occurring (having said that though, I am in favour of reducing the restrictions currently in force). Although I certainly share your concerns.
I think we need to understand that when we refer to increased levels of money in the political process, we are referring to the process generally (i.e. including groups like the Tax Payers’ Alliance etc) rather than just the party political process.
I will have a look at your comment on ConservativeHome in the morning. Thanks a lot for taking the time to read the article.
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