NFR Seems like the Green Eyed Monster has risen across the Atlantic!

[Peabody]

So, exactly who is Mitt (is that his realname?) Romney?

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jul/27/pruden-trouble-trouble-at-the-olympics/

[zzamora]

Romney has come over here and been ruined.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19007127

David Cameron ""Of course it's easier if you hold the Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere"

Cameron 1 Romney 0.

[Basil]

Salt Lake is hardly a shining example is it?? Also Winter Olympics totally diffent bag to the summer games.
Easy to take shots at organisation but on the whole I have been impressed and everyone in London seems reallty positive about it and can't wait for ceremony, not sure we will take too much notice if any of Romney's comments, in fact he should take a look at the flame going through London this week and see what the Olympics means to London, but of course he can't score cheap political points with that so he wont commment.

[TonyGilroy]

The astonishing thing about Romney is how socially inept he is.

I don't understand how people with that disability get to lead political parties and get elected in democracies.  He's not unique either - Brown, Heath, Nixon are other examples.

[zzamora]

The astonishing thing about Romney is how socially inept he is.

I don't understand how people with that disability get to lead political parties and get elected in democracies.  He's not unique either - Brown, Heath, Nixon are other examples.

Money talks.

[The Doctor]

The astonishing thing about Romney is how socially inept he is.

I don't understand how people with that disability get to lead political parties and get elected in democracies.  He's not unique either - Brown, Heath, Nixon are other examples.

Social ineptness, or indeed incompetence, is no barrier to becoming an elected leader.  You just have to make sure that you're able to cast someone else as more inept or  less competent.

Surely I'm still too young to be this cycnical...

[TonyGilroy]

The astonishing thing about Romney is how socially inept he is.

I don't understand how people with that disability get to lead political parties and get elected in democracies.  He's not unique either - Brown, Heath, Nixon are other examples.

Social ineptness, or indeed incompetence, is no barrier to becoming an elected leader.  You just have to make sure that you're able to cast someone else as more inept or  less competent.

Surely I'm still too young to be this cycnical...

But it makes sense for parties to promote smooth shysters - Blair, Cameron, Obama. Why choose to promote people with seemingly no such advantages.

Obviously I know that money talks but I'd expect it to support more likely candidates.

[MasterHaynes]

The astonishing thing about Romney is how socially inept he is.

I don't understand how people with that disability get to lead political parties and get elected in democracies.  He's not unique either - Brown, Heath, Nixon are other examples.

Social ineptness, or indeed incompetence, is no barrier to becoming an elected leader.  You just have to make sure that you're able to cast someone else as more inept or  less competent.

Surely I'm still too young to be this cycnical...

Actually I think incompetence must be a required trait in all politicians, none of the succesful politicians  seem to have had a jot of common sense or understanding of any issue. Any that do have some sense are branded right wind or left wing and anything they say is ignored. Might have to do with Murdoch pulling the strings of them allboth sides of the Atlantic.

[Burt]

If memory serves me correctly, the Salt Lake City games were mired in claims of bribery, corruption, etc.

[Berserker]

I really don't believe Brown or Heath were in it for the money. They were both misguided and got it wrong, but i think there are/were sincere people

[LBNo11]

The astonishing thing about Romney is how socially inept he is.

I don't understand how people with that disability get to lead political parties and get elected in democracies.  He's not unique either - Brown, Heath, Nixon are other examples.

Social ineptness, or indeed incompetence, is no barrier to becoming an elected leader.  You just have to make sure that you're able to cast someone else as more inept or  less competent.

Surely I'm still too young to be this cycnical...

Actually I think incompetence must be a required trait in all politicians, none of the succesful politicians  seem to have had a jot of common sense or understanding of any issue. Any that do have some sense are branded right wind or left wing and anything they say is ignored. Might have to do with Murdoch pulling the strings of them allboth sides of the Atlantic.

[Two Ton Ted]

I was just reading that he didn't impress any of the people he met in London (Cameron, Osbourne, Hague, Milliband, Blair) and one official said off record he was even worse than Palin.

God help America.

[TonyGilroy]

I was just reading that he didn't impress any of the people he met in London (Cameron, Osbourne, Hague, Milliband, Blair) and one official said off record he was even worse than Palin.

God help America.

America gets what it votes for.

God help the rest of us who have to endure the global consequences.

[zzamora]

I was just reading that he didn't impress any of the people he met in London (Cameron, Osbourne, Hague, Milliband, Blair) and one official said off record he was even worse than Palin.

God help America.

America gets what it votes for.

God help the rest of us who have to endure the global consequences.

Hopefully America will still vote Obama in.

[LordNelson]

Obama hates UK by the way--so have fun with all that.

[cmg]

Surely I'm still too young to be this cycnical...

Cynicism - never too young: never too much


On the Romney question, it doesn't really matter what he gets up to over here - there are no votes this side of the water and matters UK don't get much coverage in the US anyway. Somebody of Romney's 'personality' and political stance would, were he running for office here, attract votes only from the more swivel-eyed of our right-wingers, back home he is a credible candidate (not, hopefully, credible enough). Obama, who would attract plenty of support from all UK political parties (apart from the more swivel-eyed of our right wingers!) is, in fact, considered to be a dangerous radical in many areas of US political thought. We have many things in common with our US cousins, but politics is hardly one of them.

"Worse than Sarah Palin" - even I am not cynical enough to buy that one.

[jarv]

Mr. Burt is right. Romney was brought in to sort out all the corruption. Loads of people were fired. (Anotehr gaffe by Romney, "I like to fire people" in one of his recent speeches). A comment which did not go down too well with the huge number of unemployed. I doubt he had much to do with the planning and organisation of the winter games but he did get rid of the thieves.

[HatterDon]

As an American contributor to this site, I am not allowed to make a comment other than to say that I am not allowed to make a comment.

[Lighthouse]

Americans don't care they are all on vacation. When they come back they will look at what's going on and listen to the two sides with care and attention. Like we do in the UK

Democracy works -

Person Wanting Power - You are rubbish you are look at the state of everything

Person in Power - Yeah but look at what your lot did last time.

PWP - Yeah but you are rubbish cause things are worse

PIP - Yeah but they would be worser like if your lot was still here.

PWP - Yeah but you're common or a snob or rich and cheat on taxes

PIP - Yeah so do you

PWP - Yeah but nobody cares until we do this all again in 4 years.

[Gozorich]

As an American contributor to this site, I am not allowed to make a comment other than to say that I am not allowed to make a comment.

Why not? I for one would like an American  view as to whether Americans are at all interested in what goes on in the UK.


Note for moderators; not necessarily just politics.