What's Going on with British Politics?

We're nearly a month into the Caterham school year -- in fact, we started the same day Reserve did. I'm teaching two different groups of students: the Upper 6th Form is studying U.S. politics whereas the Lower 6th is looking at the British political system. One of the big differences that Caterham students have picked up on quickly is the "fixed" time for holding U.S. elections compared to the episodic nature of British elections, called by the sitting government at any time within a five-year period from the last election.

So, the big buzz in class now is: will Gordon Brown, the new Labor Party prime minister, announce an election in the next week or two. If he does, the actual election must be held three weeks! after the announcement. How's that for a blessedly short campaign? If that were ever transported to the States, what would cable news networks have to do?

The students seem pretty evenly split on whether the early election call will actually occur but, as an American interested in British politics, I hope it does. Prime Minister Brown, however, has not returned my call urging him to go foward. I guess he thinks he's got better things to do.

Topic for next time: Caterham students' perceptions of the U.S. political scene.

Photo: Courtesy of ukfree.tv