We can learn from the Americans

We should be grateful for the entertainment provided by Americans.
So many smiles have been aroused by the cartoon caricature of the overweight Texan tourist in shorts with a stetson shielding his red face, and a costly camera bouncing gently off a steak-fed belly.
Sadly, such visitors have become all too rare in Somerset following 9/11 and the sub-prime banking crisis.
That inarticulate buffoon George W Bush, with his macho posturing, has also departed, leaving pub comedians looking vacantly into their beer as they wonder how to poke fun at his more serious and charismatic successor.
Now the Americans have the opportunity to poke fun at our political life, not that they bother.Our leaders are mired in the ya-boo theory of politics, where they prefer to criticise their opponents rather than detail positive policies.
This and the MPs’ expenses scandal have reduced an already low level of interest and belief in our political system.We should learn from the Americans here.
They have a much more vigorous democracy with a wider public involved in lively debates.What we need from our politicians is leadership, plain speaking, positive thinking and imaginative policies, which will bring a better Britain.
Is that too much to ask for?
Philip Welch