Re-reading the Declaration of Independence makes you realise what far-sighted men those first American politicians were: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Oh, and the right to put American bases in over a hundred independent countries, organise fascist coups to install pro-American puppet regimes, stifle free trade if it's not in US economic interests and force children everywhere to watch a schmaltzy purple dinosaur called Barney."
American imperialism is a lot more complex and subtle than the version its people threw off a couple of centuries ago. For example, they have ruthlessly taken over our cinemas with the calculated and cynical trick known as "making better films than we do". And the British computer industry could never really compete with Microsoft; tragically, that abacus factory has closed now. Sharing a language means our culture is even more open to colonisation. My laptop tells me "Your battery is running low" in an electronic Seattle accent. If French and German PCs talk in their own tongue, we should insist on no lessGuardian Unlimited | The Guardian | The tyranny of George II