Tradition

David Cameron, age 39, has been been given a mandate by the Conservative Party in Britain to lead them back to Downing Street. Having the "energy of youth" and the willingness to talk about the issues (such as the environment) that the Tories previously have avoided is a huge start. Interestingly, he appears more open to Blair's social policies, just as Blair embraced some of Margaret Thatcher's economic policies.

Commentators have been bringing up Cameron's sudden rise to the party's leadership forefront. It will be worthwhile to see how Cameron talks about family values and his position on national security in the coming months. Bill Clinton lead the Democratic Party to victory in the 1990s after promising to inspire greater trust in the government and moving the party to a center position on the ideological spectrum. Tony Blair captured the swing voters in 1997 and brought his party to a "New Labour" stance.

How will a strong Tory leader affect British politics and the "Special Alliance" between the United States and Great Britain? Much of that answer will lie in Cameron, but it will also lie in the future of the Republican Party. Cameron has opportunities on the basis that he is a new leader with a vision of Britain that is unlike that of his predecessor, Michael Howard. Cameron is more willing to work with the current system than to change it completely and does not appear to endorse the reactionary responses seemingly favored by Howard. The 2004 election became more centered on the presidential candidates than the platforms themselves. Who will be the face of the Republican Party after Bush? Who will become the face of the Labour party after Blair? With the parliamentary system in Britain, the governmental party has greater influence over policy than what occurs in the United States. Therefore, the process will be important for the future as well as which leaders the British goverment will be contacting.