In the US, candidates for any political office prove their loyalty to their nation by putting flags on stage. Lots of them. Sometimes dozens of flags, other times just a couple of REALLY big ones. Every campaign sign sports an American flag while hundreds of people in the audience wave little American flags. Each candidate also wears a lapel pin with a little American flag on it. Because the more they accessorise in red, white and blue, the more, er, they love America.
Or something.
Down in Hove I caught a Labour rally featuring the local Labour candidate and Tony Blair, as well as a handful of other speakers. Not a union flag on the stage, nor on the Labour signs. No flag lapel pins that I could see. When Blair spoke, the big screen behind me did display the union flag - the one nod to patriotism during the entire rally.
I won't pretend to know what this all means, but it was refreshing being at a political rally in which people did not feel compelled to wear their patriotism on their sleeve. Brits are obviously patriotic people, yet self-assured enough that gaudy displays of nationalism are not necessary.
There was one blaring similarity between US rallies and this particular Labour one - the choice of music. U2 is apparently the primary worldwide provider of music for political events. And, in particular, Beautiful Day.
Markos Moulitsas writes the Daily Kos US blog.
