Do other countries get into politics like the Americans do?

Hmmm, well, in my experience, the prime minister here comes under frequent scrutiny from the public and from the tabloid papers in particular… less so currently than the last two, but then he is relatively new to the role. The fact that we have a coalition government here now is a big sign of how discontented the country as a whole was feeling – not necessarily that everyone wanted the opposite party in power, but that they could no longer cope with the current party as was.

The Queen is probably more highly regarded – though not without scrutiny. Certain members of her family get a lot of attention, and of course her dear husband has ruffled quite a few feathers over the years with his very un-politically correct opinions. I would say that the Queen is still given respect, whereas politicians have repeatedly proved themselves unworthy. (The expenses scandal has not done them any favours…)

We still have a shocking turn-out rate for voting though.

From the little I read, I don’t think UK politics is as contentious recently, but around the world I can think of some very recent examples:

Thailand street battles escalate as Red Shirt leader warns of civil war

Riots broke out when presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi claimed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s victory at Iran’s 13 June general election was a ‘charad’e

Thousands strike in France over pension reforms

Greece rocked by riots as up to 60,000 people take to streets to protest against government

@jaytkay Wow I missed all that. Thanks I can see people are in fact. You don’t see too many questions on here ,Do you like the prime minister? Like Do you like Obama? I was just wondering if they are into politics like we are from a personal view.

Countries focus on their own news, including internal politics, first. Several countries do a much better job than the U.S. of broadcasting global news than the U.S., IMO. You might want to give BBC America a try, if you have access to it on television. Or you can check out this link. Following other countries’ news reports, given that it is credible, can be educational.

@jaytkay that is pretty close to what I was going to say. Plus, have you heard parliament in Great Britain on Question and Answer day. One of my favorite C-Span shows.

I would watch Tony Brown and wonder how Bush would answer those questions. I would then wonder why Brown followed Bush like a little puppy dog.

I think that we do in New Zealand, but we have this ‘She’ll be right’ attititue

In my little world here in South Africa, such profuse political debates don’t seem to be so rampant.

Every country typically has as much internal political debate and discussion as the US but the US, being an economic superpower, tends to get the greatest deal of news coverage as the more economically powerful a nation is the more likely it is to directly affect the society in which you live. People tend to prioritise the thought of “how will this affect me, my friends, my family and my home” before all else, and understandably so.

When I visited France and Germany and Spain, I remember politics coming up a few times in conversations with strangers during long drives. I think they are probably more politically aware than most are here in the US.
@Nially_Bob GA