The British Elections

Jacob Weisberg of Slate has a piece on tomorrow British elections.  He asks a good question: why should we care (other than just the sporting aspect of electoral politics)?  Here's his take:

Our American campaigns have become decadent spectacles of horrifying length and expense characterized by 30-second attack ads, a class of parasitic professionals, and a running media freak show.

By contrast, Britain's feel pure. They are swift (four weeks!), substantive, and not entirely driven by fundraising. Spouses are treated as human beings and allowed their own lives. The electorate is informed and engaged. The candidates are more spontaneous and accessible.

Weisberg goes on to describe his experience covering the race, which has some interesting comparisons with our own long, expensive and seemingly vacuous elections featuring a bored, inattentive and too often uninformed electorate.