Well all right!

A lot of people across the Atlantic are getting excited about Barack Obama's plan to move the ceremony at which he formally accepts the Democratic party's nomination to a vast 76,000 seat stadium. Now, there's not much we Brits can teach our American cousins about the art of political theatre, but someone really ought to whisper the following words to his advisers: Neil Kinnock. Sheffield. 1992. 

After the infamous rally, which the British public interpreted as Kinnock getting too bit for his boots and Labour taking them rather too much for granted, the party's  poll rating slumped and they went on to lose an election that most thought they would win. Perhaps American voters are more used to this kind of electoral hubris, but I wonder if, by late August, even they might be getting a little tired of seeing Obama presented as some kind of political messiah. It could all backfire and end up in a majority opting for John McCain with his town hall meetings and downbeat fireside chats. As someone who wishes Obama well, I hope I'm wrong. But if I'm not, remember: you read it here first.

If you can bear it, here's a rather poor video of the Sheffield rally, in all its squirm-making glory: