Hi NZ,
I think that a 51% approval rating from the British people is actually quite good. That will be far higher than Britain’s approval rating for Europe. Britain’s the most Euro-skeptic country in Europe (including Poland). The British people are naturally cynical and if you ally that with our losses in Iraq and Afghanistan you may have expected far worse. I think the author overplays his argument with regards to Britain though. I really don’t see a weariness with the special relationship here and Brown has ruled out putting an artificial timetable on Britain’s withdrawal from Iraq. The UK is also increasing still further it’s committment to Afghanistan. I think it’s a bit insulting to suggest that the UK PM might be reduced to a ‘Chinese, Iranian, or Russian hamster’. The author also suggests that the assassination of the Russian dissident in the UK was a British failure. I thought Britain’s response was robust. The UK was the first country in the West to actually fully stand up to Putin in ths way. How the author calls this an embarrassment for Britain I don’t know.
With regards to the US: You have to remember in all this, of course, that dominant world powers have always been resented around the world.
I’m not American myself, but I think a natural question from Americans to your last line would be: “you were once in that seat, and wouldn’t it show a bit of compassion towards us by not resenting against us now?”
I could not have put it better I totally agree.
The special relationship as Brown himself has said is here to stay.