My very first animadversion

Well, today is Barack Obama's inauguration - he is due to be sworn in in about 2 hours time as I write - and this is the inauguration of my blog. It is not only America's black citizens who never expected to see this day and have. I share their surprise and their feeling of pride and glorious anticipation, as do so many millions around the world. His achievement, against all the odds, is truly staggering. It is not only a question of race/colour but of a fundamentally different political culture/ethos,outlook, Weltanschauung, call it what you will. Rarely do we see anything like this phenomenon in our tawdry politics anywhere in the world. The nearest equivalent is the fall of Apartheid in South Africa and the emergence of Nelson Mandela. And, of course, there are similarities quite apart from race. The big one is Obama's credo which encompasses redemption, reconciliation, the oneness of humankind. And the surprise and delight are so much greater because of what Obama is replacing - 8 godforsaken years of the most appalling, pathetic and destructive regime the US has known. Oh, yes, we (people like me) said this would happen when the American people elected Dubya; cold comfort for the hundreds of thousands who have died on Bush's watch and because of his and his GOP's policies. And, whilst we are about celebrating the end of Bush, let us bracket with him his totally discredited pal, Yo Blair, who (and his New Labour cohorts) deserve to share the ignomony and contempt.