Comments on Alternate Universe Watch

Yeah, but have you seen The Queen with Helen Mirren yet? Oh yeah, probably hasn't opened in Seattle yet--I'm in New York--but she's fantastic and so is the movie.

If American voters wanted what British voters wanted, we'd have better Republicans. Ultimately Republicans are monsters because there's a constituency for bigotry and warmongering. We need better Americans.

Did you notice the Conservatives logo? They replaced a blue torch with a green tree.

Is this politician on the campaign trail, by chance?

Can we trade our conservative leaders for theirs?

It's an interesting situation in the UK, with Cameron tacking to the left and Blair continuing to tack to the right, so that in many ways Cameron has appeared more progressive than Blair. It's a tricky game, as he's in danger of losing the far-right of the party to UKIP. There's been a lot of Tory grumbling at this conference, apparently. But Cameron has been admirably blunt to the Tory old guard, telling them that they can't have tax cuts and that there will be no return to Thatcher politics.

Also, I think that Cameron really doesn't have a choice but to try to appeal to the left, because of the way that Labour has staked out such a wide swath of the electorate, from the center-left to the center-right. Labour can always expect union support as well as support from lifelong Labour voters who would be loyal no matter what, and that allowed them to swing right as far as foreign policy and privatisation (e.g. the NHS). The Tories can't criticize Labour for foreign policy because they went lock-step on Iraq, so it doesn't leave them with a lot of options to emphasize -- environmental issues, the NHS, and a fresh young leader who isn't Scottish.

Yeah, I saw The Queen with Helen Mirren in it last night - really good. And, for those who are/were British/Canadian/French, you'll have a nice cry too.

Loved the stag scenes.

oh, and the little dig at Tony Blair at the end - priceless! "This too will happen to you, Mr. Blair, someday." or words to that effect ...

The Queen is opening here on the 20th of October.

Some Labor MPs may still swoon over Tony, but the rank and file and backbenchers clearly have had it.

Tony's approval ratings are around 27%, and the Conservatives are on the rise, so "Kiss You Off" seems to be the message.