The Election From Across The Pond

It's a cliche, but the rest of the world probably cares about the US election as much as Americans do and as much as they care about their own elections. Grace's work told her she could take the day off tomorrow, if she was too tired to come in from staying up all night to watch the election. Two people from my work (neither American) actually are taking the day off tomorrow so they can watch the election tonight. Because of the time difference this is a big commitment. The first exit polls from the East coast will begin to roll in here at midnight and the West coast will come in around 4 in the morning. These people will literally spend the entire night in a pub, watching the results come in. They've even booked a table and sent an invitation around the office (one of two all-night election parties we've been invited to).

Both of London's biggest free newspapers have extensive (multi-page) viewing guides for the election tonight. The London Paper gives you a quick background on 'how the electoral college works' and a full-page map about all the swing states. There's a viewing guide in the corner. The London Lite is my favourite though. It has a feature on American food to eat, to help you get into the spirit. They recommend Hamburgers, BLTs and Nachos and say 'don't forget the obligatory crate of Budweiser, or try a bottle of Californian pinot noir from Medocino County, California.' They also have this very brief description of the Republican and Democratic parties:

'Republicans are essentially the US version of our conservatives - they are Right-wing and want to reduce government spending and lower taxes, even for the rich. The Democrats stand to the Left, want higher taxes for the rich, a cut in taxes for the middle classes and for US troops to withdraw from Iraq eventually.'

In general, I think this election has really elevated the US in people's minds. As the British magazine The Economist says in its most recent edition, "the best thing that can be said for the [American presidential] system is that it is so democratic. In most countries party leaders are chosen by political insiders. In America rank-and-file party members (and some independents) get to choose—and this year they upset all political calculations by rejecting the inevitable Mrs Clinton on the left and choosing the maverick Mr McCain on the right." Consider that, in Britain, Gordon Brown is Prime Minister, despite never facing a national election. Here, everyone votes for their representative to Parliament, and the leader of whichever party has the majority becomes Prime Minister. Regular people have about as much control over who their national leader is as Americans have over who is elected speaker of the house or Senate majority leader.

Of course, this election is not just any election. People are a bit shocked I think at the fact that Barack Obama is the probable president of the US. It upsets so many notions about our country - mostly that we are a racist land ruled by corporate overlords. In my office, some people are, I think, a bit flummoxed by Obama's success. They note that it is difficult for them to imagine an Asian becoming Prime Minister here (people of Asian descent are the largest ethnic minority in Britain). I think of the British singer Morrissey, who released a song just five years ago called "America is not the world." It had these lyrics:

In America, the land of the free, they say
The Land of opportunity, in a just and peaceful way.
But where the president is never black, female or gay,
And until that day,
You've got nothing to say to me,
To help me believe.

Finally, for my job, I naturally read tons of local African newspapers - they are filled with columns praising our system. In Africa, it's hard to imagine an ethnic minority reaching leadership of the country. There is a joke going around in Kenya - Obama's father is from the Luo tribe in Kenya, an ethnic minority that has been subjected to some persecution. The joke is 'a person from the Luo tribe has a better chance of becoming president of the United States than president of Kenya.'

We're not going to any all-night election parties by the way - I have to go to a conference on Nigeria tomorrow, and I don't want to be sleep deprived or hung over while sitting all day in a room listening to people give presentations on financial markets. But, if the election ends up going to Obama, I can't help but be curious about whether the main topic of conversation during breaks will still be Nigeria.