Tunku Varadarajan: 10 Truths About the British Vote

Tunku Varadarajan's nails some key themes from the British election in his latest article over at The Daily Beast. The whole article is worthy, but here are some highlights:

"Gordon Brown is a dour, dithering, dry, dislikeable loser. He is Dukakis with a Scottish accent. So if (and when) he loses, let us rejoice."

"Second, we have in Barack Obama a president who values Britain as meanly as he might Arizona. OK, I exaggerate, but Obama is to the "Special Relationship" what Angela Merkel is to Greece (OK, I exaggerate again, but only a smidgeon.) So for those who say that there's anti-Atlanticism in the U.K., I say: "What about the anti-Britainism in Washington?"

"Seventh, the British electorate is genuinely unsure of what it wants, except for the fact that it's sure that it doesn't want more Gordon Brown (whom the voters never really wanted in the first place, and who was foisted upon them). Of all the world's major peoples, the British make the most unforgiving "foistees.""

"Finally, it would be nice to have the Tories back in power, if only because alternation—as any American will tell you—is the life-blood of a healthy democracy. From an American perspective, a Tory government is always useful, for it is only the Tories who subscribe, reflexively, to an unapologetic view of Britain as a great power. America—Hegemon, hyper-puissance, whatever—needs, in these times, a muscular smaller ally without a sidekick-complex. Only Britain fits the bill."

Today will be interesting on multiple levels for both the U.K. and the trans-Atlantic relationship. While Cameron doesn't really thrill the werewolf (although his wife is a beauty), Brown is so odious and flaccid, that watching his career (hopefully) flame-out, will be worthy unto itself. Still, this race is one for the history books.