Obamania in Britain
Sally McNamara /
The British newspapers continue to be full of analysis of Barack Obama’s election victory on Tuesday. As the scale of his victory becomes clear, the coverage has become even more fulsome in its praise of President-elect Obama’s incredible personal story in reaching The White House. The British Prime Minister and leader of the Opposition, David Cameron clashed in the House of Commons, rushing to associate themselves with Obama’s victory. Even a shocking 1.5% slash in interest rates has failed to ignite public attention in quite such a way, despite British interest rates now being their lowest in over half a century.
Obama will surely be watching Britain and Europe’s reaction to the global financial crisis. The economic meltdown is a poisoned chalice that he has inherited too and one that he will not be able to blame on the previous Administration for long. Also elected on a platform of increased employment, and radical healthcare and education reforms, Obama’s agenda is almost crushing in its level of expectation. However, he will only have himself to blame if he has promised the American people more than he can deliver. And it seems that the world is watching as closely as the American people to see whether Obamania can deliver as much as the hype.