Two Democracies, Two Very Different Elections
Though some elements of British campaigns resemble those of American contests, the systems are fundamentally different.
At times, it can feel as if British and American politics are on converging paths. After all, both the United States and the United Kingdom experienced seismic votes in 2016. The outcomes of both—the decision to leave the European Union in Britain and the election of Donald Trump in the U.S.—have been attributed, at least in part, to a growing polarization and division within their respective societies. Both countries are led by men who are seen as encapsulating these divisions.
And now, both are headed for elections.
But that is where the similarities stop. For while the two votes will revisit the issues that have embroiled; in the U.K., the issue of —they also reveal fundamental differences between these two democracies.
