Archive for the ‘American current affairs’ Category
Let me assure my American readers: I have no problem at all visiting Birmingham (UK)
January 13th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
“There are actual cities like Birmingham that are totally Muslim where non-Muslims just simply don’t go in,” This was the absurd comment made at the weekend on Fox News by the so-called terrorism expert Steve Emerson who amazingly has advised all sorts of Congressional committees. Birmingham is not totally Muslim; some 22% identify themselves as Muslim. […]
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U.S. presidential election (2): will Elizabeth Warren really run?
December 28th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Haven’t we been here before? Eight years ago, it looked pretty certain that Hillary Clinton would win the Democratic primaries to become her party’s candidate in the US presidential election of 2008. Then along came Barack Obama, a former professor, a newly elected senator, a charismatic speaker, more radical than Hillary. And we all know […]
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A short guide to the American political system
December 19th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
I have now completed a series of five lectures at London’s City Lit for a course on “American Political Institutions” delivered very ably by Malcom Malcolmson. This has enabled me to make major revisions and additions to the page on my web site entitled “A Short Guide To The American Political System” which is one […]
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U.S. presidential election (1): the first candidate declares
December 19th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Former Florida governor Republican Jeb Bush has become the first person to declare that he will seek his party’s candidature in the US Presidential election in November 2016. His rivals for the nomination will include: Chris Christie – current governor of New Jersey Rand Paul – a senator from Kentucky Ted Cruz – a senator […]
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Cuba comes in from the cold – at last
December 18th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
As a friend of and visitor to both the United States and Cuba, I am really pleased that, after 54 years, we have the news of a planned normalisation of relations between the two countries. When I had a holiday in Cuba almost seven years ago [my account of the trip here], Fidel Castro had […]
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Is Barack Obama a dictator?
November 22nd, 2014 by Roger Darlington
In the United States, the Republicans have lambasted President Barack Obama over his use of an Executive Order to introduce much-needed and long=delayed immigration reform. They have accused him of being a dictator because he has bypassed Congress which has shown itself utterly unable to legislate on the subject. If Obama is a dictator he […]
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Two possible familial scenarios for the White House in 2016
November 14th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Hillary Clinton looks very likely to be the Democratic candidate in the US Presidential election of 2016. If she runs and wins (and I hope she does on both counts), then the recent occupancy of the White House will look like this: Bush-Clinton-Bush-Obama-Clinton. There is serious discussion about the possibility of Jeb Bush seeking the […]
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The potential candidate for the 2016 US Presidential race that is totally unknown outside America
November 12th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
You’ve never hear of him. He’s a senator from Vermont. He’s the longest serving independent in Congressional history. He isn’t afraid to call himself a socialsist. And he’s thinking of running for president in 2016. His name is Bernie Sanders. You can read about the speculation concerning his candidacy here.
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Why much of the rest of the world still respects Barack Obama
November 6th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
The poor showing by Democratic candidates in this week’s mid-term elections is being blamed in part on the low approval ratings for Democrat President Barack Obama. But, in many countries of the world, there is still immense respect for a president who has never embarrassed his office by language or conduct, has never rushed to war […]
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American political institutions (1): the mid-term elections
November 6th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
This autumn, I am doing a six week (five session) evening class at London’s City Lit on the subject of “American Political Institutions”. The lecturer is Malcolm Malcolmson who is also the Principal of the City Lit (good to see someone leading from the front) and I have heard him lecture before (see this posting). […]
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