You don't have to live next to me, just give me my equality

We went to this tonight. Its hard to fathom that this is a country where there were places where it wasn't that different to Apartheid South Africa in living memory. In some ways it was frightening to listen to someone who had to do what he (and hundreds of other like him) did, just to get people the right to vote. The right to go and put a cross on a bit of paper, something that we all have taken for granted since we were 18. I can't really get my head around the whole thing. Despite all of this, the talk was uplifting and how can you not be moved in a positive way by listening to someone who was at the coal face of history?

Oh, whilst buying a book from him after he said to me "I like your t-shirt, very nice". Can you guess which t-shirt I was wearing tonight? Yes, it was that t-shirt again.

Don't stand in the doorway, don't block up the hall

Having watched the candidates debates of the prospective candidates for Congress on our local ABC channel tonight I now know two things.

The first is that gawd help British politicians if Cameron ever gets his way of having the idea of Primaries in the UK. Having watched both the Democrat and Republican debates one thing was very clear  - all the people who were on the stage shared one thing in common, they were very polished politicians who could answer questions off the cuff in a way. And whether one agreed with their responses or not, none of it was cringe making in the way I fear it would have been if one were watching two or three Tory or Labour candidates from the Chipping Barnet constituency doing the same thing. I'm not suggesting that this is necessarily a good thing, after all one wants (and perhaps needs) politicians with a bit of character. But I don't think your average person who wants to be a parliamentary candidate in the UK would be quite as telegenic.

The second is that I am glad I don't have make a choice as I am not sure I would want to chose any of them.

Come senators, Congressmen please heed the call

A week on Tuesday is Primary Day in New Hampshire, a uniquely American piece of democracy. I'm not entirely convinced by it. I can see in theory why its a good idea - each party has a number of candidates who they put forward and then the people go out and decide who the candidate for the general election later in the year is going to be. It is a good way to avoid having the party candidate just foist upon you like we do in the UK. And I like the idea of being able to vote and decide on the other sides candidate (as I understand it everyone gets to vote for all parties and no parties candidates but I understand that this differs from state to state, like most other things). I think that though that there are definite drawbacks.

I read the other day for a successful candidate to get through the primaries and onto the ballot paper for the election in November cost between two and ten MILLION dollars. My understanding is that there are two Congressional districts in New Hampshire - which means that the successful candidates in NH will have spent upwards of $40,000,000 to get on the ballot paper. I am not au fait with how many seats are up for grabs in November (I don't think its all of them) but if you multiply that over the country thats hundreds of millions of dollars spent on just trying to get the chance to be elected.

Most of this money seems to be spent on adverts slagging off your opponent. Now the interesting thing here is that your opponent at this stage is member of the same party as you. I find this very strange - surely these people are on the same side? I understand that even in the same political party there are varying shades of opinion but still, some of the adverts are just plain nasty. I can't wait to see the ones for the election in November when they will be having a go at the other side.

The other thing is that its not just just get on the ballot paper for Congress but everything - school board governor, sheriff, alderman, Governor , the lot. Not in all places at the same time but I think that its lots of things that get voted for at the same time. Can democracy go to far? One of the TV stations have candidates debates every night this week. I shall watch them, not that I can do anything with the information as we are not allowed a vote. We are only non-immigrants residents so don't get a vote (but have to pay tax) - now what was it that one of the early thinkers behind the Revolution said? Oh yeah, "Taxation without representation is tyranny".

But the banks are made of marble, with a guard on every door

Monday is Labor Day, a bank holiday that apparently traditionally marks the end of the summer. Something concerned me about this holiday - its name. Its a bit, well, socialist. And surely America couldn't be celebrating something socialist could it? Turns out they could. Labor Day has been around since the end of the 19th century and was instigated as celebration of the achievements of workers.

Its the one dichotomy that I find time and time again here. On the face of it America (or probably more accurately some Americans) cannot countenance the very idea of socialism. Its an anathema to everything they hold dear. You just have to listen to people talking on news shows about the idea of healthcare reform. News channels, such as the one owned by everybody's favourite Australian are full of people who just seem to be, well the only word I can think of is foaming. (Not necessarily on topic but my personal favourite in this category is the mild mannered pastor who, with some of his mates, next weekend plans to burn the Koran in a protest against Islam.  He truly was the voice of reason)

There is an anti Obama bumper sticker I have seen that says "United Socialist States of America, 2010 - 2014" somehow equating the mild reform that Obama is doing to the USSR. Personally I don't think that socialist is a label that I would ever have put on Obama, liberal democrat perhaps but socialist? The very idea of state intervention to some people here is just selling their birth right. (Again, slight away from the topic but still on it, I was wearing this t-shirt when I was accosted by free thinking local who pointed to the hammer and sickle and asked if I knew that that was a symbolism of being a communist. I of course thanked him for putting me right on this information that I was previously unaware of.... Can't wait to see what happens when I wear this.)

And yet, and yet.......

I am constantly reminding myself that this is the land that gave the world Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. Its the land with radio stations that are full of moderate voices who say "hold on a minute....". Its the country where they celebrate the worker and actually name a day after them - something that we aren't allowed to do in the UK, ours just becomes May bank holiday. For gods sake, our electricity is supplied by the Public Service Company of New Hampshire, I don't think you could get much more socialist than that.  So I shall stop worrying about the nutters and celebrate the progressives. Remember, you have nothing to lose but your chains.