Two weeks ago, British politics took on an American twist by holding a first-ever televised debate between the leaders of the three major parties in the country. For the Labour Party, the current Prime Minister Gordon Brown sought to defend his policies since the departure of his predecessor, Tony Blair, two years ago. David Cameron, the head of the Conservative Party, took the offensive as much as possible and attacked Mr. Brown's record at every turn. At one point, the two men squabbled with each other directly over whether Mr. Cameron was entitled to ask or answer a question..
On the left hand side from the camera's perspective stood a relatively unknown figure sporting a yellow tie. He looked different. He sounded different, and to millions of viewers in the UK and around the world - he was different. Nick Clegg (b. 1967) simply is different. Rather than talk about values from a religious point of view, Mr. Clegg does so as an unrepentant atheist. Instead of having an educational background in political science, law or business, his training at Cambridge was in archaeology and anthropology. Additional studies took him to both Belgium and the University of Minnesota (USA). He is fluent in not one, not two but three foreign languages (French, German and Dutch). Does he have a prim and proper British wife? Not quite. He is married to Miriam Gonzalez Durantez - an accomplished lawyer from Spain.
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Indeed, Mr. Clegg represents a new generation, Generation X, now coming to the fore in politics around the world. The top tier of this generation is highly educated, transnational (flexible to living abroad for extended periods of time for work or study) and largely non-traditional. In short, Mr Clegg is a figure of the first modern globalized generation - quite unlike his two political rivals.
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Since the first televised debate on 15 April, where both Mr. Cameron and Prime Minister Brown unexpectedly found themselves replying to the dark horse candidate from the Liberal Democratic Party, Britons have swamped Mr. Clegg at every appearance. Due to his amiable demeanor, quiet charisma and constant references to 'change', he has been referred to as a 'British Obama'.
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In an election with a fresh face and televised debates, the stakes for Britain are quite high. While the economic fiasco on the Continent, originating with the debt crisis in Greece, will not effect the UK directly due to the retention of the pound sterling, Britain faces an immigration policy conundrum, a record financial deficit and a range of thorny issues from maintaining the National Health Service to reforming the courts and police forces simultaneously.
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Can Mr. Clegg win? Although unlikely, it is not out of the question. Third parties and third party candidates tend to draw significant support among disaffected voters in bad economic times. It should be remembered, however, that the prime minister is not directly elected in Britain. He or she simply represents the majority party in parliament, and citizens also cast ballots for MPs based on a number of local and regional issues.
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Regardless of the outcome, Mr. Clegg has already succeeded in energizing a staid electoral process and speaking for a new era of leadership. Beyond its personalities, the results of the 6 May election will be profoundly consequential for Britain and the world.
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(Picture: Nick Clegg)
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J Roquen