[PatrickHenry]

So that you don't get the impression that the entire conservative movement in the US (and thus the Republican party) is entirely bonkers, please keep in mind certain facts. First, after the stunningly sound anti-creationist decision by a Bush-appointed Republican judge in Kitzmiller et al. v Dover Area School District et al., the voters in that very conservative area demonstrated their commendable revulsion against the ignorant and theocratic school board by tossing them all out of office: Dover boots board. Since then, most Republican officials have been running away from the creationism/ID issue, realizing that it's not a winner on election day.

[ToryHeartland]

don't get the impression that the entire conservative movement in the US (and thus the Republican party) is entirely bonkers

I hope I didn't imply that was my impression, very far from it. The conservative movement in the UK (which is not confined to the Conservative and Unionist Party) may not seem of particular importance to some Americans, but I'd argue we do matter--at least when in power (we've been lousy in oppostion in recent years, but that's another story). I would happily argue that the premiership of Margaret Thatcher helped President Reagan win the Cold War, for example, and that we have done much to reverse the damage to the UK wrought by socialists (if only we could stop the rot in continental Europe as well--but that's yet another story). In short, I would hope that conservatives on both sides of the Atlantic recognised our common values and objectives.