I will probably blog again tonight on his speech, which I thought was excellent (unlike some…), but I just want to get this thought out while it’s fresh in my head. Liberal Conspiracy says No We Can’t to the possibility of a ‘British Obama’, and for once I agree:

Don’t get we wrong here. It’ll be nice to see a little of the enthusiasm generated by Obama’s election rubbing off on Britain’s black communities and if that encourages a bit more meaningful political engagement from that direction then so much the better. But let’s not get too carried away at the same time.

While there is no intrinsic reason Britain shouldn’t, at some point, elect a Black or South Asian Prime Minister – we managed to have a Jewish Prime Minister (Disraeli) more than a century ago – if and when that day comes, the one thing we can absolutely certain of is that individual will not be a ‘British Obama’ and their election will carry neither the meaning or significance of Obama’s victory over George W Bush.

This is not America.

The suggestion that if a black person became Prime Minister it would somehow equate to Obama becoming President has always been way off base, but…

If we took ‘British Obama’ to mean “A politician, of any race, religion, colour or creed, who inspires the confidence and the trust placed in Obama by his supporters. Who can be simultaneously educated, driven, poetic, inspirational and human. Who makes us happy to live in this country, and breathes fresh air into our political system” then I would say that one day soon we will have a British Obama, and we should have a British Obama. Of course, some would argue that we’ve already had one in Tony Blair – but where Tony Blair alienated people from the political process in Britain and made them cynical, Obama has inspired people to become more active in politics and has filled them with hope.

To me, the ‘historic’ (hate the term) nature of President Obama’s coming to office is not for the racial change he represents (although that matter a lot for many people) but that everything about him is different from his predecessor, and that his anti-politics stance and pro-technology attitude has a chance to really change America for the first time in a long time.

To my mind, Obama’s ascendancy represents a new path for America – one in which the Government will communicate with the people rather than at them. And that change will lead to the future.