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This post was published on Wednesday 20 February 2008.

Along with many others (I suspect) I have been following with interest the race for the Democratic presidential candidate in America.   It seems that Obama is building momentum - although Clinton is only a few delegates behind him, and wins in Texas and Ohio would put her back in front.   Rarely is democracy actually exciting!

Obama’s main policy seems to be ‘change’.   ‘Under me things won’t be like they’ve been before.’   As a political weapon it is potent indeed: he’s running against the wife of a former president, and looks like he will battle it out with McCain, who has run before.

We have seen a similar thing in this country with David Cameron and the Conservatives.   They have long been claiming to be ‘fresh’ and ‘new’, that they will change things.   But when the dust settles from the excitement they generate, the question is begged: what are they going to change, and to what are they going to change it?!

To be fair, the Conservatives in this country have been suggesting some policies recently.   Obama would do well to learn their lesson; Labour spent two years hammering Cameron and his Conservatives, even casting him as a chameleon, because his message of change had little substance.

If he hasn’t already, I hope that Obama is coming up with some concrete policy changes, which he will be able to go into detail on if (possibly when) he wins the Democratic nomination and goes head-to-head with McCain.