I'm not sure, but I think the difference is that the British system emphasises local work more, so an MP is both an area's representative in the House of Commons and their lead politician—it's a bit like being both Governor and Senator for a very small state, or perhaps a better analogy would be if a city's mayor were also its Representative—and this increases the emphasis on local issues in a general election.
This is really fascinating. I love the effect you describe, but am not sure whether I would love the effect if it were here! It would be a very interesting experiment, though. The mayor here, of whom I'm quite fond for local issues, is not someone whose views on national policy I would necessarily trust. (Of course, to extend this to a country as large as ours on the city-by-city scale would be impossible, so perhaps the governor is a better person to consider. Unfortunately our governor is a less interesting case.)
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Date: 2006-10-25 07:09 pm (UTC)This is really fascinating. I love the effect you describe, but am not sure whether I would love the effect if it were here! It would be a very interesting experiment, though. The mayor here, of whom I'm quite fond for local issues, is not someone whose views on national policy I would necessarily trust. (Of course, to extend this to a country as large as ours on the city-by-city scale would be impossible, so perhaps the governor is a better person to consider. Unfortunately our governor is a less interesting case.)