No transatlantic alliance since has held a candle to the potent symbolism of Reagan-Thatcher

In America, we didn’t know about the miners’ strike, and I suspect that if we had, we might not have cared. We were mystified by the poll tax riots. We were bemused by the Falklands war – where are the Falklands, anyway? – and lukewarm about Britain’s fights with Europe. We like the idea of Europe, after all; we are in favour of having European allies, as we call them, and we are under the impression that Britain is one of them. So why shouldn’t you all just get along? Read on »

The Democrats and Republicans have stolen each other’s clothes as they attempt to win over America’s voters

A quick quiz: which American political party talked about social issues, military families and foreign policy at its convention? Which American political party celebrated the achievements of its most recent president and spoke about his legacy? And which American presidential candidate declared, “I have never been more hopeful about America?” If you guessed “Republicans” to the first two and “Mitt Romney” to the third, you would be quite wrong. And that was the odd thing about this two-week American political convention season: the parties’ core messages are the same as ever, but their roles are now strangely reversed. Read on »

It was rather touching to watch British politicians finally rally round the Olympics on the eve of the opening ceremony last week, to hear Boris Johnson dismissing “a guy called Mitt Romney” who had dared imply that Londoners might not be entirely enthusiastic, and David Cameron cast doubt upon those who stage the Olympics in “the middle of nowhere”, thus prompting the mayor of Salt Lake City to hold a press conference and wave a map. Read on »

The ebullient Alaskan Sarah Palin has something the Republican campaign clearly lacks.

Maybe you’ve read the book (Going Rogue), or perhaps you’ve seen the film (Game Change). In any case, you must know the story of how John McCain thought he’d picked a winner – a talented, unknown female running mate who would bring a touch of youth and charisma to his stodgy campaign – when he chose Sarah Palin to be his vice-presidential candidate in 2008. Read on »

Despite the austerity, or because of it, the nation’s artists and audiences are full of life.

There were queues outside the Royal Academy when I went to see the Hockney exhibition last week, and queues for returns again that evening, when I went to see the play One Man, Two Guvnors, starring James Corden, on the penultimate night of its run. Twice in one day, in other words, I encountered mobs of people, pushing and shoving one another, desperate to get into a London cultural event. Those who had booked well in advance clutched their ticket as if it contained a winning lottery number. Read on »

The sudden growth of the US economy spells trouble for Democrats as well as Republicans.
Growing pains: an upturn in the US economy has upset the election campaign plans of Republican Mitt Romney – US Presidential campaign: Never has the good news sounded so bad. Read on »

The sudden growth of the US economy spells trouble for Democrats as well as Republicans.

Now we have reached a truly critical moment in the American presidential elections – and I don’t mean the moment when the Republican candidate soars away from his party rivals (I’d give it a few more weeks yet, if I were Mitt Romney’s campaign manager, about which more in a moment). No, I mean the moment when the paradigm shifts and the election scenario everybody has anticipated abruptly changes – because real life has changed. Read on »

Around the world, tyrants and thieving officials are running out of places to hide.

It will be a year ago next Wednesday that a Tunisian fruit vendor called Mohamed Bouazizi died, 18 days after dousing himself with paint thinner, setting himself alight, and inspiring a series of protests which we now remember as the Arab Spring. At the time, these protests were widely described as political. But in a recent, brilliant article for Foreign Policy magazine, the economist Hernando de Soto pointed out that these movements also had a very specific set of economic inspirations. In fact, Bouazizi was a frustrated entrepreneur, a would-be businessman who was unable to get ahead because of weak property rights, bad laws and rigged markets.

Read on »