The Name's Kerry, John Kerry

Ladies and gentlemen, I am a big ol' ball of got-the-cold.

So anyway, I recently went to see Kitchen Stories (or, as it's more properly known, Salmer fra kjøkkenet). Think of all those films you've ever seen about a meteor hitting earth, or Vietnam, or Dracula, or Americans being brave in a general sense. Kitchen Stories is nothing like that. It's about a Swedish kitchen design company doing research in rural Norway in the 50s. It's fantastic. There are no explosions, the whole cast are middle-aged and elderly nordic men, and there's about ten minutes of dialouge in the first hour. I'm not being sarcastic, it's a really engrossing film.

The talk of Americans Being Brave brings to mind a converstaion I was having with my housemates the other day, concerning the likely candidates for our next Prime Minister. (Relax, pundits: It'll be Mr Blair again). Anyway, we were discussing the differences between the British Prime Minister and the American President.

Prime Ministers wear bad ties and administrate things. Presidents Lead The World.

The main aspect of this is that no British person would ever comment on whether or not a ministerial candidate had served in the army. The British army occupy islands that most people have forgotten about and get killed by friendly fire in places we thought were stabilised. We don't rate military service. Perhaps it's because we're a small island whos main interests lie on tiny islands, but the military isn't a big thing.

American presidents are meant to be male, white, blond, with good teeth and braod shoulders. That's because they're typifying the American Culture. Britian has had a female Prime Minister, and it's had ethnic minority Prime Ministers, but they all wore bad ties.

Of course, while Americans have their President, we have, um, the Queen. I suppose.

No, the British Hero is not in Whitehall.

He's James Bond.

Song in my head: "Same Boy You've Always Known" by the White Stripes.