We get a fair amount of fairly unbiased news from the US and a sprinkling of current affairs shows. We also get the Beeb, Aus N and Al Jazeera as well as the local stations which tend to take 'crappy' to a new level. So we see your strangely named contenders for the plastic crown, we see Noot and Mitt and the other gink and we hear the various commentators and we come out of it all none the wiser.
Your political system, like ours consists of basically left and right of the political spectrum and I can say that both the Labour Party and the Conservative Party in the UK issue well considered, usually well thought out, manifestos and, again usually, quite intelligent critiques of the opposite party's performance.
Now the question.
Apart from what we saw of Mississippi and apart from the byte sized nonsense written here what exactly do your republicans stand for? We hear 'smaller government'. OK then how? And if, as seems likely, some of the functions of government are 'privatised' where will the savings be? Or perhaps republicans aren't interested in savings. If republicans want to scrap Obama's medical scheme what will happen to the millions who suffered under previous governments. If Mr. Gingrich wants to be president what, precisely, will he do to make the US better? Same the the cardboard cut-out Mr. Romney.
Has anyone on the right issued a manifesto? A policy document that actually addresses their form of government?
I see nothing. I see abso-bloody-lutely nothing that would make me, should I be an undecided American, vote for them.
We do hear comments such as 'The Republican Party is in disarray. Can any of the contenders improve the lot of Americans?
So enough of the No Obama chants. Enough of the smart arse remarks. Enough of the ten second whooping sound bytes.
Can anyone tell me why anyone should vote Republican?