European elections, in general, are far shorter, cost far less and focus on far more important issues than the U.S. Where that leaves us, US(!), is candidates spending millions to billions to get elected (or not), candidates who dither over small and small-minded issues, and politicians who are frightened into inaction weeks into their terms because they want to get re-elected and god forbid they do something unpopular two years before the next race.
Naturally I can't find the source right now, but a few years back CNN lined up all the Western European heads of state and said how much money they were allowed to spend on campaigns. They're helped out by things like free TV ads (Britain) and other public funding, but by our standards it was laughable -- hundreds of thousands of dollars to a million or two max for Prime Ministers and Presidents.
I could have cried for joy when British politicians said abortion was not a campaign issue. At the time, Europe had been discussing new late-term abortion research for weeks, but both front runners said no, not our issue. On their radar, yes. Of concern, yes. But they preferred to go head-to-head on matters that were more pressing for a greater percentage of the public.
The U.K., Germany and Spain are all fairly religious places, yet you don't hear about it in politics, or daily life, really. God, like abortions, is a personal choice, not one to be discussed on air. Germany to this day doesn't have separation of church and state. Church tax comes out of your paycheck automatically unless you opt out. But then you can never get married in any church in the entire country. Spain is synonymous with Catholicism, and Henry the VIII invented something new to allow him to divorce. Europe is a churchy place -- you can't swing a cat without hitting a cathedral in any city or village, but shucks, folks. It's not worn on your sleeve. No ones talks about WWJD, if they believe, they just do.
Less talk, more action. It's refreshing.
Bon voyage, Mr. Brown. Valiant effort, and like anyone in a position that high (ack, erk, ouch, it hurts -- even Bush), you did what you thought was best at the time.
Good luck, Mr. Cameron. It's a poisoned chalice these days. Filled to the brim with an aging accelerant.
