"Order, Order" A Novel

As many of you know, I have grown quite tired of the American media and news in general. However, there is one news story that I have been following very closely.

And it is a story that is barely noted in the American press.

It is British politics. More specifically, I am referring to the trials and tribulations of Gordon Brown.

I think most people I know at some point have watched at least a few minutes of the House of Commons. It is hysterical in its own right simply because of the heckling. But I am referring to much more recent news.

For those who don't know, Gordon Brown and his Labour government have been in an almost uninterrupted free fall in the polls since he became Prime Minister in the summer of 2007. It was a forgone conclusion last year that the Conservatives would take over at the next election. But he has kept on surviving. Quite remarkably too. But the past 2 weeks in general have been really interesting. Labour had historically bad local and EU elections this week (like losing in Wales for the first time since 1918). It is horribly bad. Not to mention the expenses scandals, amendments-for-cash, and other issues.

However, what happened this past week is something that you would never see in America. Several cabinet members resigned in hopes of forcing Brown to quit. Members of his own party (prominent ones) calling for his resignation. Plots and conspiracies to oust him. Of course, others have supported him as well. He also reshuffled his cabinet to boost his position, reward loyalty, and punish others. It is rather chaotic to say the least...and very interesting. It reads much like some fictional political novel. You don't see this in America partly because of the structure of our system and partly because we keep things private and undercontrol. While the British try to present a united front, it does not always happen. It makes for a good read.

Of course, it helps that this is not my country. So, I can say at the end of the day "it does not really matter to me." I would imagine many Britons are not too happy with the whole thing, but I enjoy reading it.