Brits Not ready for a Black Prime Minister

Head of equality watchdog, Trevor Philips, say the United Kingdom is not ready for its own Barack Obama.

"If Barack Obama had lived here I would be very surprised if even somebody as brilliant as him would have been able to break through the institutional stranglehold that there is on power within the Labour party," Philips tole the Times. And although 13 of the 15 ethnic minority MPs (Members of Parliament) are Labour, with the other two representing the Tories, Philips said that, "the political system is to some extent closed to outsiders."

A poll of Guardian readers shows that 43% of Brits agree with Philips while 56% disagree. But taking into account the average 9% "Bradley Effect" it puts the two sides about equal, and may even be the reverse of what the poll suggests. It is very easy to say and even believe that you would vote for a black President (or in the UK's case, a black Prime Minister), but it is a much different thing to actually vote that person into office.