Aug

16

While passing through the security screening at the Bank of England, the screener inquired of our origin. When we responded, "New York", he commenced a vitriolic monologue about our "one term president" and O's mis-handling of the ground zero mosque, bp, etc. etc.

It was rather endearing that this Brit felt the need to unburden himself, and the hostility towards Obama was refreshing and surprising– especially since he had no idea to whom he was speaking. One wonders whether this attitude is becoming widespread throughout Europe, and whether the bust of Winston Churchill is still sitting in it's crate… waiting to be returned to the oval office in two years.

Separately, it was striking how little traffic there was around Threadneedle Street. Congestion pricing must really be working.

Stefan Jovanovich writes:

Perhaps we are seeing a replay of the relation between the Dutch and the British in the early 19th century with the U.S. taking Britain's place and the Brits the place of their lowland cousins across the North Sea. After Waterloo the 2 countries were never again on opposite sides of any conflict. Their financial and military ambivalence about their greater wealth but lesser overall importance is what shaped their finance and diplomacy towards the Ottomans, Americans and Russians. For the modern analogy read Islam, the new democracies (India and Brazil) and China. Palmerston's career probably has more to say about our future than we can yet imagine. 


Comments

Name

Email

Website

Speak your mind

1 Comment so far

  1. charlie on August 20, 2010 9:47 am

    “the hostility towards Obama was refreshing and surprising– especially since he had no idea to whom he was speaking. ”

    Sorry, I don’t know who you are either…google just lets me know that you like to eat and ruminate…anything else we need to know in order that we watch our words?

Archives

Resources & Links

Search