The Other Brown

Am I missing something? Scott Brown looks like a greasy, insincere, ageing Estate Agent to me.

But he drives a pick-up truck, so he must be a man of the people.

The health care debate in America confuses me because comprehensive, free-at-point-of-access health care seems such a fundamental feature of a civilised society to most British people, whether they vote Conservative, Labour or Liberal Democrat.

But I don't get all that "get Government off our backs" business either--and that's a part of the political debate in the UK too. Well, in London. If the Government aren't there to act as stewards of society economically,culturally and sometimes morally too, what are they there for? To me it seems obvious that unrestrained capitalism leaves the few free to prosper at the expense of the many. Look at how Thatcher's letting-loose of the markets in the Eighties freed business to take away employees rights, for pay to go down nearly as far as employment levels and for crime and social disfunction to spread. If we don't like the politicians who are acting as our stewards we can get rid of them. So where's the danger?

Heretical views, I fear, but there you are. Maybe I am missing something. Perhaps the 30 million Americans without health insurance just don't have it because they're lazy and work-shy. And perhaps Scott Brown isn't actually a patronising, manipulative man who harbours a secret disregard for the Massachussets voters and really ran for office just to protect his own interests and those of the businessmen he speaks for.