The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there. We can see just how alien the past can be by taking my time machine for a short spin back 20 years. For many readers, especially younger ones, time tourism will be a shock. In 1998, Amazon is a company struggling to convince people that there is a profitable future selling books online. Facebook doesn’t exist. Neither does the iPhone. The Russian intelligence service is run by Vladimir Putin. Some things haven’t changed then.
Also in 1998 – and this will really surprise some people – Tony Blair is the most popular prime minister Britain has ever had. He and other centre-leftists of his type are dominant in the western democracies. Bill Clinton, a “new” Democrat, is in his second term at the White House. “New Labour” has recently surged to power with a parliamentary landslide in Britain. It will go on to win two further elections. The “neue mitte” – the word new is much loved by this generation of social democrats – has been a winner for the SPD’s Gerhard Schröder, who is embarked on the first of two stints as Germany’s chancellor.
Source : foxnews
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