Meet the new government, same as the old government. But in the meantime can anyone tell the difference?

I was watching TV the other day, I think it was the Daily Show, and was very struck by the death of the technocrat in US politics, particularly on the right.

Where are the men and women for whom exercising power in a rational cool headed fashion is an end in itself? That used to be part of the process. Say what you will about Richard Nixon, but at least he realised the state had to be run if only to maintain socio-political stability in a modern society. This evening we had Al Gore on the Daily Show commenting on how across a range of areas rationality had left the building when it came to US politics. He mentioned the lack of serious thought as regards the Iraq invasion, pointless scepticism as regards climate change and how this tied into a broader ideological trend, particularly on the right.

And of course the point is that the Bush administration is intensely ideological. But in a weirdly splintered way, with competing interests, commercial, sociopolitical/religious and foreign policy having spent the last seven years vying for pole position and the Presidents ear. These interests are by no means mutually compatible.

I could argue that Bush represents the triumph of the oligarchies, or perhaps the triumph of oligarchies who have cynically utilised the right religious vote. But perhaps that would be to attribute to Bush more guile, or even project management, than he deserves. Perhaps the project was simply about being in power. And perhaps that tells us why the project has failed. If one has no instinctive interest in affairs of state, indeed an antipathy to the very concept of the state or perhaps more particularly the public welfare (in it’s broadest sense), it tends to lead to – at the very least – a sense of dislocation. And that’s all fine, except the state functions in a very real way only due to the collective affirmation by citizens and the input of taxation from citizens. In other words other peoples money.

Hence the remarkable paradox of massive state expenditure during a period of tax cuts.

Incidentally, anyone following the Attorney-General story will have been entranced by the material coming out over the last week regarding the dismissal of US attorney’s last year and in particular Monica Goodlings testimony.

Now of course we are moving into the last days of the administration. Bush is road testing a kinder gentler face…note his climate change policy which while excoriated in the Guardian today, received a slightly less frosty reception on Channel 4 last night.

Anyhow, talking about technocrats or not as the case may be, note how well this country is doing at the present moment…we have a sort of caretaker administration. Life continues. We await resolution as to the shape of our future government. But…so far so good.

And if on the 14th some independent or another (and a name springs to mind, a name which has been pushed – or has pushed itself, perhaps a little unwisely – this week centre stage in the media) doesn’t have a job in cabinet and there is no overall majority…

Well then, who is truly going to be able to tell the difference?