[Tealeaf]

Originally Posted by steeljack

Been watching recordings of the UK House of Commons during the Murdoch hacking scandal and have to say the House of Commons resembles a day care center full of autistic kids who haven't had their daily dose of Ritalin , how the heck do these folks expect or deserve any respect when ordinary folks would be given Absos for similar chav like behaviour .

I have no respect whatsoever for any politician, of any persuasion, in any country (with the notable exception of the Honourable Member for Hyndburn and Haslingden). However, if it comes to a comparison between debates in the cockpit of the House of Commons and the docile, half-wit, servile, arse-licking, pork-barreling members of the United States Congress, then give me the former any day.

In addition, give me a system whereby the executive head of government has to report on a weekly basis (and often more) to the legislature and has to answer to them - in the most difficult of circumstances - rather than a cosy weekly fireside radio chat, according to script. This current American president - and he is no different than his predecessors - cannot even, with the help of a prompt board - make a joke about Pizzas in space. The same President, would I believe, just about surfice as an intern research assistant for some obscure back bench liberal-democrat non-entity of an MP. But then again, Obama may only have 18 months to go - so who will replace him? Sarah Palin?