A tale of three very different elections

The best time to see a country’s political culture is immediately before or after an election. That is when unspoken national assumptions about how to use power and how to treat political opponents, are laid bare. Almost uniquely, three great Western democracies are in this phase simultaneously: Britain and France just held elections, while the US is steeling itself for its own confrontation. The differences between the countries are fascinating and sometimes shocking.

Britain’s transition of power has been cheery.

After the Conservatives’ landslide defeat on July 4,

outgoing Chancellor Jeremy Hunt described new Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his own successor Rachel Reeves as “decent people and committed public servants”. Last week, Mr Starmer and his predecessor Rishi Sunak chatted and laughed in the Commons, like work pals catching up after a holiday.