Oh, it's so different in Britain:
There are three bits of conventional wisdom about the role candidates play in elections.
First, because people vote for parties rather than individuals, any personal vote is relatively small. Second, any personal vote is acquired during an MP's first term in office, after which their personal vote levels off. And third, any personal vote results from what the candidate does in the constituency rather than at Westminster.
This election will present a good challenge to all three of these beliefs...
If the first two were true in America we'd have been rid of Jim Leach long ago. The opposite seem to hold true: open seats seem to be closest to natural partisan levels and long-time incumbents build up their personal popularity Back Home. And Americans are incredibly, stupidly proud of I Vote For The Person Not The Party.
But then, the increasing "Americanization" of UK politics has been a common complaint in the Blair era.
UKElection
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