He came out of nowhere. Young, talented, articulate. He brought hope and vitality, a promise of renewal and change. In one glorious night of election fever we swung from fearful apprehension that the old guard would hang on, to exultation, tears, joy. We had done it. There was hope after all.

Did you watch the election? I was living in Chicago when Tony Blair came to power in 1997 and could feel the excitement all the way across the Atlantic. I even momentarily felt the urge to return and take part in the revolution!

Then the years rolled by and the truth emerged. Five wars in ten years: Bombing Iraq 1998 and Yugoslavia 1999, troops into Sierra Leone 2000, Afghanistan 2001 and Iraq 2003. Human rights: torture, cctv's, ID cards. Corruption: selling peerages, arms deals, tobacco advertising. Lies and murder: dodgy dossiers, Dr David Kelly, Jean Charles de Menezes. Epitaph: "I'm a pretty straight kind of guy". 

What Murdoch and the others did so cleverly was to place a Tory (Blair) in charge of the Labour Party, then swing the main stream media behind him. Of course he was elected, he was hand picked! The Left were so grateful to be in power(!) they did not enquire too closely into his war crimes and lies, and of course the Tories were stuffed because he implemented their policies. It was a brilliant story, a clever script - and the world is different now.

Have you been caught up in this weeks drama? Barak Obama came out of nowhere. Young talented, articulate. He brought hope and vitality, a promise of renewal and change. In one glorious night of election fever we swung from fearful apprehension that the old guard would hang on, to exultation, tears, joy. We've done it. There is hope after all.

Did you watch the election? I was moved by the powerful emotions expressed by the black community. Barak Obama's victory has truly liberated them. But more than that, the main stream media is firmly behind him, he is feted around the world, in Kenya they are naming babies after him!

Oh-oh! Just a minute - are we sleep-walking through another movie, a rousing Hollywood story about a young black guy who makes it against the odds? It helps us feel good, keeps us going, struggling on. It gives us hope as we reel from the stunning financial shocks and fearsome terrorist threats. But is it as it seems? Is Barak simply a black Blair?

Good movies make us forget they are movies.