More on that there race and other stories

I recently logged onto The Times website, being the good middle-class boy that I am, and saw the words 'How Sarah Palin lost...' with the subtitle 'And how Obama is unstoppable.' Now, I do not profess to be an expert on Americans, nor American politics in general, but my meagre observations have discovered a few things in relation to English-American differences.

First of all, the entirety of the English media seems very much against the Republican side, and seems to assume, due to his dynamic style and liberalism, Obama has it in the bag. I would disagree with this entirely. Never underestimate the Right when it comes to America. Putting aside the dubious Florida results, the Republican win in 2000 was preceded by the Guardian asking their loyal readership to send letters to their American counterparts to vote Democrat. The support for Al Gore was strong over here. But as Briana wisely said: 'I don't care what British people think. They don't have a vote.'

Secondly, if we took Obama and McCain, with Biden and Palin as their deputies, and transported the electoral process to the UK, political spectrum staying vaguely in place, the Left would win outright. Partly because the UK is a more secular culture than the States, and the Right's policies would abhor most over here, but the major moneywinner would be Barack Obama's ability to look like he's cool, calm and collected in all situations. We value that over real politics, which is a concerning indictment on the British state of play.

Obama and the Democrats have not won outright. They do seem to have the lead in the polls, but it is in no way a foregone conclusion. Watch this space.

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I have moved into college, and I'm currently typing this from my desk in my room, observing the courtyard - where nothing happens - and trying not to stare at the lecturer's offices across the way. It has been exciting, and yet very tiring. I look forward to this weekend, and the possibility of getting to sleep in for a considerable amount of time.

I am also currently aware of how bizarre relationships, and the process by which they are formed, are. Getting to know 60 odd new people is something of a challenge. You want to retreat to the safety of known friends, and you want to make the new people feel welcome. It's a very odd experience, being so torn. I only hope I might be getting it right, somehow.