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[expatinuk]

It's interesting reading the Blogs and Comments on newspapers in the US and the UK (NY Times and The Guardian) to see the difference in the levels of cynicism in the two countries.

From what I've been reading, the folks in the US seem to put a greater belief in the information coming from the government than the folks in the UK.

And before anyone jumps up and down and screams... 9/11... do keep in mind that the Brits had the London Tube bombings last year... not to mention over 50 years of IRA threats and bombs.

I'm not trying to raise a discussion about the TRUTH or not... but rather the cynicism, and why it's different.

[sueenglish]

Interesting isn't it? Possible reasons - UK:

The various bungles, misinformation and so forth in the recent past - the shooting of De Menzies, the arrests of people who were actually doing nothing.

The general anti-war feeling and distaste at British policy in the Middle East.

The anti-Bush/Blair feeling. The strength of opposition (or growing strength) in the House to more anti-liberty laws.

The media here (television) - OK, not great, but not the same as in the US.

The timing of these raids always seems to coincide with much needed bolstering of political positons.

The stronger vocal/public opposition from the left - e.g. Galloway. While many may not like what he says or agrees, he does have support because traditional labour voters feel so let-down.

I met a lovely guy form New York the other night (a friend of a friend) who emphasised (and this is before this terror news) how, in his mind, the left in the US are helpless - how he couldn't bear living there anymore due to Bush - very sad to feel that way.

[quasihumanist]

If you swallow whole the speculations of some UK newspaper without taking into account the paper's well-known historical biases, and they turn out to be wrong, it's your fault.

If you swallow whole an American paper's speculations, and they turn out to be wrong, the newspaper and other journalists consider it the newspaper's fault.

The pursuit of "objectivity" sometimes means not sticking your neck out so far.

[prof_mom]

I met a lovely guy form New York the other night (a friend of a friend) who emphasised (and this is before this terror news) how, in his mind, the left in the US are helpless - how he couldn't bear living there anymore due to Bush - very sad to feel that way.

Your friend is not alone. Have any of you seen the sorry everybody website?

http://www.sorryeverybody.com/