I haven't done an interview in a while and Abbey thought it would be a good idea to interview Drummond, and I agreed. He's (I think) our 2nd member from across the pond to continually post here with us, and just like Noir, we're happy to have him here and grateful to have a different vantage point and opinion on things. Drummond impresses me, as he tends to make very long and thought out posts. I appreciate someone who is willing to put a lot of time into a debate. I also like the different way of "speaking", as I can almost hear the British accent in the way he writes! LOL Seriously though, I think he's been quite a new asset to our community and I hope he'll start to draw away from politics at times, join us on the lower half of the board, and let us get a better opportunity to know the man from 'across the drink' as my neighbor used to say. For now, we'll have these lame questions I drew up to go on!

George Bush and Tony Blair really came together after 9/11 and I was thrilled to see the support from across the pond. Both were made into villains a few years later. Your thoughts?

I agree with the sentiment of the question. I can't be any great fan of Blair, since, after all, he was a Leftie leader, and I'm now a staunch Conservative !! But Blair's support of Bush certainly commands respect.

I don't know how well this is known in the US, but our popular Press delighted in calling Blair 'Bush's poodle' for so comprehensively offering support. In fact, I say that he did the only honourable, decent thing to be done in the aftermath of 9/11, and laudibly followed through in the years to come. He paid a heavy price for it from his OWN Party .. yet one more reason for me to feel disgust against them. Yes .. Blair was an honourable Leftie ! Remarkable, but nonetheless true.

Bush received a relentless hammering from the media here. Called a 'warmonger' .. both he and Blair had accusations thrown at them that they were 'war criminals' for invading Iraq. It was (.. is ..) a truly disgusting business.

I know you're a huge fan of Margaret Thatcher. How did this come about?

Yes, I'm a huge fan of Margaret Thatcher. She had whole sections of the UK population against her at times. She didn't court popularity in her actions .. she was a conviction politician who always put the welfare of Britain before anything else. She was the ideal antidote to Left-driven chaos at the hands of our Trade Unions. I credit her with our nation's salvation .. had the Unions won out, we'd quite literally be a Third World nation by now.

In my teens, I myself was a fan of Left-wing politics. *BUT*, watching how their 'enlightened' policies proved ruinous for us again and again, and how Mrs Thatcher injected her tough commonsense approach as an antidote to their wanton destructiveness .. how could I NOT become a fan ? She richly deserved her THREE LANDSLIDE VICTORIES.

Do you like Queen Elizabeth? Who do you think next will hold the throne? Likely Charles? Do you like him?

I like Queen Elizabeth, sure. As regal as she is, as committed to tradition as she must be in her role, very occasionally she shows how much of a heart she has. She is a great patriot. And she has a really great sense of humour .. consider her willingness to be a part of the James Bond spoof sequence during the Olympic Games opening ceremony.

I was enamored with Princess Diana. I thought she was absolutely beautiful when she got married and held herself very well throughout. I was VERY saddened when she was killed. Did you like her? Do you think there were any shenanigans with her death outside of the paparazzi chasing her car?

Granted, Princess Diana was an extremely attractive woman. But, Jim, I'm sorry, but I don't really share your view of her. I do think, yes, that royal life stifled her, and maybe Charles wasn't her ideal partner. Nonetheless, Diana was highly manipulative, and the co-cause of martial scandal. Diana, additionally, contrived excuse after excuse to keep herself in the limelight. I can't speak for American media coverage of her, but the British equivalent seemed to always be reporting on her. Barely a week went by without something new being reported.

Shenanigans over her death in France ? Possibly. Had she lived, I'm sure that further scandal was likely. As it was, possibly the paparazzi behaved in a way that contributed to her death. Perhaps they should've been less keen to 'pester' her. But I also don't doubt that Diana herself did a lot to contribute to that.

Tell us a little more about your education since childhood...

There isn't much to tell. If I describe whatever few academic 'achievements' I've managed, the description won't equate to terms Americans will be familiar with. But I don't have much to report on anyway. The only relatively recent progress I'm making is - considering I'm an ex-Londoner living in Wales - that I'm trying to learn the Welsh language (started a couple of months ago).

Where did you grow up? Do you have a lot of hobbies?

As just mentioned, I'm from London. I grew up in a London suburb called Enfield, north London, and lived much of my life there. I moved around 35 miles away and lived east of Basildon, Essex for a decade, before moving back to Enfield for a time. I've lived in Wales for the past three years.

Hobbies .. well, posting on sites such as this is maybe one. I maintain an interest in computing and the media, and have had an interest in astronomy since childhood.

What is your stance on the issue in Israel-Palestine? And What is happening in Syria?

My stance concerning Israel v Palestine is pretty simple. Israel ... most especially after the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust ... richly deserved to re-establish nationhood. They have a total right to exist as a Nation State, and to totally oppose anyone, not least the Palestinians, who'd want to contest their right to live in peace and security. By complete contrast, Gaza now exists, ruled by terrorist trash, and I can't for the life of me understand why Israel is so tolerant of them as she's proved to be. If Israel launched an all-out offensive against Hamas, and didn't stop until it was totally destroyed, I say that they'd be thoroughly justified. When you elect terrorists as your rulers and 'guiding light', you lose all claim to human rights ... since terrorists exist to trample on those rights with others.

On Syria .. a dangerous situation, much complicated by the WMD issue there (and were those Saddam's WMD's ??). On the one hand, OK, Assad has proven himself to be a ruthless abuser of human rights. On the other, I believe that opposition to him is being taken advantage of by terrorist elements.

Wouldn't it be great if the US could move in and do there what they did in Iraq ? The Syria situation resembles Saddam's Iraq to an uncomfortable degree.

What do you like the most about the USA? And dislike the most?

Its purpose for being, as symbolised by its foundling principles. The US reveres freedom, it has the ideal system of society best suited to serve human aspirations .. and has proved as much by becoming as powerful a nation as it has. The USSR rotted from within because, even despite almost a century of oppression and indoctrination, the human spirit STILL triumphed. America has an inspiring belief in itself, is a beacon for hope for mankind. It has much to be proud of, and the rest of the world much to respect about it ...

... its current 'love affair' with a re-elected Obama notwithstanding, of course. I will never understand that ...

What do I dislike the most about America ? Hardly anything. There is one cultural difference between us that has me identifying with Britain more than America, and that's our stoic manner. In military actions, I regard the British military as more machine-like in its manner, more reserved, more dedicated to calm yet implacably purposeful direction. I regard that as a more national trait which is to our advantage.

Are you a big soccer fan? Favorite team? Were you ever a hooligan? LOL

No, I'm not a big soccer fan. If I were to support any team, it'd be Tottenham Hotspur ('Spurs') just because I lived a couple of miles from their home ground. But I don't follow it much. Was I ever a hooligan ... yes. Some might claim 'perpetually' (.. any thoughts on that, Jafar ?) ...

You seem to have a lot of disdain for Muslims. Where and when did this start, what brought it about?

'Disdain' for Muslims doesn't really cover it. It is an 'enemy' religion, its adherents bent on conquest. When Muslims move to an area, e.g the UK, they set out to make their new territory their own, and insist that their culture, their ways, predominate. I have as much comparable regard for the Islamic presence in my land as I might've had for Nazi stormtroopers, had I lived in an era which saw Hitler successfully invade us.

... that said, we indigenous types must 'defer' to Muslims. Because The Left Insists Upon It ...

Sieg Heil ...

In the USA, we have "Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion. How would you compare the UK's handling of those freedoms?

See question 10 !! Freedoms are being eroded here .. bizarrely .. 'in the name of freedom' (our political machine has a lively sense of humour !). We have 'freedom of speech' these days, but subject to 'hatespeech' laws which confine expressiveness. We have Leftie-led cultural imperatives which will demonise thoughts and opinions which do not obey pre-approved opinions. Certain non-UK citizens are even denied entry into the UK because of their 'undesirable' views. Oh, and we have, right now, a developing case of Left-wing controlled Rotherham Council, taking children away from foster parents because those parents are affiliated to a political Party the Council doesn't approve of, the argument being that those parents' views are incompatible with the childrens' ethnic origins (we're talking here about the mainstream party UKIP, which wants controls on immigration and is anti-EU membership).

However .. to be fair, I can think of one 'freedom' which may be introduced - courtesy of the EU. The freedom of convicted prisoners to vote in General Elections ...

We do have freedom of religion here ... so long as no one religion can predominate (so the theory goes). Which expands some, stifles others ...

The Monarchy. Does it still serve the same purpose as it did in days of old?

The Monarchy is more entertaining than it used to be. Monarchs of old weren't known for leaping out of helicopters ...

But the answer is obvious. In times past, monarchs had real power. These days, they have very little.

We have "celebutards" here in the US, like Paris Hilton and the Kardashian sisters, who are famous for no reason at all. Do you have the equivalent in the UK?

I've racked my brains trying to think of a British 'celebutard', but cannot come up with a name. I think the answer is that we not only don't have them, but that the British people wouldn't willingly tolerate them (unless you'd think of counting the Royal Family in that ??). Americans can respect and celebrate wealth and good fortune for its own sake, in a way that the British tend not to. Here, we'd want our wealthy people to have earned it, or if not, at least not to publicly revel in it.

I'm a big fan of Kate Middleton (she seems nice, and she's hot, and has a hot sister too!). I like Prince William and Prince Harry, they seem like everyday guys, and actually seem to work/serve. Your thoughts?

Yes, Kate Middleton is nice (.. hot, etc ..) .. a big improvement on Diana, in my view. Pippa richly deserved her 'rear of the year' award ...

Prince William I like .. he'd make an excellent future King. Prince Harry, I don't have as much of a regard for. He's reckless, and possibly not suited to Royal prominence. But, as a 'regular guy' .. perhaps he has merit. In a reckless sort of way ...

James Bond - from someone in the UK's perspective - which actor was your favorite to play him?

Each Bond actor was good in his own way. George Lazenby would've added to the role if he'd appeared in more 007 films. Connery was the standard others had to measure up to. Daniel Craig is an excellent 21st Century James Bond.

If you can change any one thing about Debate Policy, what would it be?

Almost nothing ... I enjoy the site. The only irritant is presumably a technical issue anyway .. I find I have to frequently re-log in after completing a post, as if the site times me out after a few minutes. I've seen nothing comparable from other sites of this type.

But on the plus side .. I like this forum. I feel more at home here than I do on British equivalents of it.

Thanks to all who are happy to see me continue here, by the way. I've not lost sight of the fact that I'm a non-American contributing to a site that principally exists as an American forum, for Americans. My acceptance here is very appreciated.