Serious Question: When Did England Become a Better Democracy than America?

I've been thinking a lot about the British elections last week, both before and after the actual event. As the BBC reports, Iraq definitely hurt Blair. What might have otherwise been a really easy re-election of Tony Blair turned into more of a squeaker than almost anyone anticipated.

I've mentioned to you that I watch the British parliament occasionally late at night on CSPAN (I know, I know, I need a life) and I'm constantly amazed when Blair appears there, taking questions - and a lot of rage - directly and answering them. The feedback is instantaneous.

Mr. Bush, on the other hand, is cushioned from our elected officials and chooses who he sees. The American public can't get anywhere near him. Anyone - and that anyone has swelled now to more than half of the American people - who disagrees with the way he handles things is at best consigned to a "free speech zone" usually located in Outer Mongolia and at worst, threatened and actually acted upon.

The media has turned into celebrity reporters around him rather than asking him anything tough and relevant. Compare this to the Brit press, and you actually see working journalists.

Nowhere was there talk in the Brit elections of stolen votes or Congress happily handing off something as important to a democracy as the election process to private corporations who, like Diebold, were also in the business of trying to make sure Mr. Bush won re-election (not my words, but the words of Diebold's head). Senator Chuck Hagel, a GOP moderate and a man I happen to respect overall, is a principle owner of another voting firm.

With Iraq, Blair was out there and people living in England let him know they were NOT pleased with his slavish devotion to Mr. Bush. Bush, on the other hand, is so insulated that he can easily pretend that everyone just loves him.

So my serious question is, as stated, when did Great Britain become a much better democracy than the United States? I never thought I would live in a time when I would have to even conceive of this question, let alone ask it in a public forum.