Andrew Sullivan points to a very interesting poll conducted by The Guardian.
The survey shows that public opinion in Britain is overwhelmingly pro-American with 62% of voters believing that the US is "generally speaking a force for good, not evil, in the world". It explodes the conventional political wisdom at Westminster that Mr Bush's visit will prove damaging to Tony Blair. Only 15% of British voters agree with the idea that America is the "evil empire" in the world.Mr Sullivan characterizes this as 'a good thing'. Now I thoroughly agree with his belief that most people in England seeing the US as a force for good in the world is pretty spiffy. However how can anyone not be disturbed by the knowledge that 15% of British people think America is some form of despotic evil overlord?
What can be inferred from this poll is that on my walk to Victoria Tube Station, for ever 200 people I pass 30 think America is The Evil Empire™ (booooy will Kruschev be pissed, he worked so hard for that title). 15% of people in Britain today hear the proverbial 'empire march' from Star Wars each time they see George Bush take to the podium. I'm sharing my tube carriage with at least 13 people who are certain that the Whitehouse has a secret underground lair in which Donald Rumsfeld lurks, embraced by the sweeping arms of a deep black leather chair (preferably stroking a cat of some variety).
People are actually content to believe that the nation, from who's sacrifice and toil our very survival has been gleaned for more than the past half century is a force for evil in the world.
Dear God no.
There is something deeply wrong with this. Yeah sure, I've swallowed the bitter pill that is the dominance of Tabloids over the Broadsheets in this country. I've learned not to be annoyed by those who can't use "Tony Blair" outside a sentence involving the word "spin". For in the bigger picture these are matters which amount to little more than the bobbling of fibres over the surface of a woolly jumper. But that view of the United States, held by those 13 people on my underground carriage, is gross ingratitude, ignorance and idiocy. It is with a heavy heart that I contemplate accepting it's existence.
Later
John
Posted by John Swaine at November 19, 2003 12:18 AM