Relax, it's even more grim up north

There is a resonance to the timing of the British general election campaign, overlapping as it does with the European Football Championship. At the time of writing, it remains possible that Sir Keir Starmer will enjoy the blessings of an England win in the Euros and a Bank of England interest rate cut in his first fortnight as prime minister. The former is less likely than the latter.

- Russell Brown

Watching a foreign election is always a bit like following an offshore football tournament. We might have a favourite team, but the stakes are lower and we can relax and enjoy the sound of the crowd; perhaps even reflect in our own winter of discontent that it's even more grim up north.

Compared with the US, where it can be hard not to feel that the end of the tournament might be the vortex that brings about the end of the world, British politics, even in its current crazed, impoverished state, feels familiar, especially to the generations of New Zealanders who have been temporary immigrants to the Old Country.

The same goes for the political media. As the US presidential election nears, American cable news will become more awful. MSNBC will present its droning parade of former US prosecutors and Fox News will go about its core business of a creating a parallel universe where gravity works differently.

In the UK, in contrast, the commentary is frequently better than the game.