Curious about the culture, cuisine or customs of London and the United Kingdom?

From quirky tourist spots and sports updates to royal gossip and the latest on Portobello Road, Washington Post foreign correspondent T.R. Reid, who's LIVE from London, takes your questions and comments about day-to-day life in the U.K. and the European Community.

Submit questions in advance and during the hour.

Washington DC: T.R. I always enjoy your columns about life in the UK. I have two quick questions -1- does the leadership of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons under William Hague seem to be showing stability or improvement, and -2- What is your favorite restaurant in London? Thanks.

T.R. Reid: Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! We always find it kind of strange to celebrate American holidays overseas, because everybody is walking down the street with a briefcase to work while we're strolling to mass, or dinner, or whatever. Last Sunday on British TV I was asked what Thanksgiving is all about, and I tactfully said, "Well, it's a celebration of the fact that a group of people were able to get out of England and build a free society in the New World." They didn't like this reply a bit.
As for poor William Hague. He's the 38-year-old leader of the Conservative Party, inheriting the job after the Tories were blown away in the 1997 general election. The man has a tough job, let's face it. Most people would probably fail at it, and he has, too. The Tories had support of about 31% of the British people when he took over, and they haven't improved an inch since then. Last poll, they were at 28 percent.
The good news for Hague is that he can probably keep the leadership post until the next election (2001 ?), because nobody else in the party wants it.

Washington, DC: In what areas do you believe the British have more freedoms, greater well-being, and a more thoughtfully organized society than America does?

Chris Charles

T.R. Reid: The British have created a free and open society that is safer than ours--that is, there is less risk to life and limb from criminals than in our country. This is particularly noticeable for me, as a husband and father.
Property crime rates are high in London -- higher than in most American cities. But violent crime rates are much lower. It's just safer to walk down the street at night. And they've done this without any draconian, Singapore-like restrictions on personal freedom. I admire that.
They've done better than we have in designing a health care system, too. Even though I have insurance and could pay for medical care, I've found that the (completely free) National Health Service takes good care of our family. It is easier and quicker for me to get in to my doctor in London than it was in Castle Rock, Colo.--and of course, it's free. No battles with insurance companies over deductibles, ceilings, etc.

Lima Ohio:


How do the British people feel about the change in the House of Lords?

T.R. Reid: I think most of Britain was kind of embarrassed that it was still possible to inherit a seat in the MOther of Parliaments. So I think most people are satisfied with the change. It wasn't a burning issue, and in their Lordships had minimal impact on people's lives. But they were an anachronism, and I think most people figured their time had come.
The other thing is, Tony Blair promised to do this when he ran for PM in '97. It took him 2 1/2 years to get it done, but at least he's a politician who kept a promise. I think people admire that.

Washington, DC: Mr. Reid, Happy Thanksgiving! I really enjoy London Journal. I am travelling to London this evening, for the first time, and have two questions for you: First, just how cold is it in London right now? And, second, do you have a favorite, low-key Indian restaurant? Thanks very much!

T.R. Reid: It's chilly, wet, and bleak in London. Rotten weather, and unlikely to improve.
For an Indian restaurant, head to the Brick Lane neighborhood and just go into any place that offers "Balti."

Santosh New Jersey: In terms of political debate - how far ahead
or behind are the Brits? Most the stuff you
read implies the British electorate are
prepared to be dazzled by the glitz of
US-style politics without the substance of
many of our deb

T.R. Reid: British politics has some of the bumper-sticker mindset and theatricality of American politics, but it has been spared some of our problems. There are no TV ads, so there's a little less need to reduce your message to 30 seconds. They are beating their breasts here about the corrupting influence of money in politics, but the money floating around British elections is minimal compared to even a state legislative race in the U.S.
I have been deeply disappointed with the quality of debate in Parliament. Almost any day's debate in the U.S. House on any piddling amendment is more thoughtful and substantive than the exchange of insults that passes for debate in Parliament.

Washington, DC: 1.Does the Archer scandal mean that Ken Livingstone now has a good chance of being Mayor of London? How do the "powers that be" view this?

2.Are the recent changes to the House of Lords something that the public was demanding, or was largely indifferent to?

T.R. Reid: Jeffery Archer just had to drop out of the race for Mayor of London (election--next May) because he admitted he got a friend to lie for him in a legal action 13 years ago. At first, this looked like a big embarrassment for Archer's Conservative Party. But in fact, Archer had almost no chance to win the election, so the Tories are lucky to be rid of him. If they now come up with a more substantial candidate, it could be tougher for the Labor Party to win.
I think Ken Livingstone (known as "Red Ken" because he's a famous lefty) could easily win the race. But I don't think the Labor Party is willing to nominate Ken. If Labor nominates Frank Dobson, or Glenda Jackson, a strong Tory candidate could win it.

middleburg, virginia : Have you see the new Merchant and Ivry film "Cotton Mary" written by Steve Coll's sister-int law -!!-

T.R. Reid: No, but if it was written by the boss's in-law, I guarantee you I'm gonna love that film.

Washington, DC: I'm a young journalist working in Washington -just out of school.- I have a lot of education-experience centered around European issues in a very competitive program.

After two or three years, would it be impossible to find a job in Europe working for an American news agency or TV bureau, specifically out of London -as an editorial assistant, copy girl, whatever- or do visa issues intrude so that if you don't have ten years' experience, they're gonna hire local? Do you know anyone who's done something like this early in their career? What did you do?

T.R. Reid: I'm glad you asked this, because I get a lot of mail from young journalists who say, in essence, they want my job and don't want to have to spend years on the obit desk to get here.
I'd say there are three routes to a foreign bureau of big U.S. paper or network. 1) Go to work for the newspaper or network in the U.S., work your brains out, impress everybody, and mention to the foreign editor that you want to go overseas. Looking at the current WashPost foreign staff, I'd say this is the most common route.
2) Go overseas right away, develop contacts and language skills, and start free-lancing for American publications. Then collect your clips and send them to Foreign Editors. You say, in essence, "I'm the best US reporter here in Higashi-Kumamoto and you should hire me."
3) Go overseas, work for one of the English-language papers, and just keep your ears open to know when the local NYTimes or ChiTribune job comes open.
--best luck.

London: Hey there. Just stumbled upon your chat. I am an American grad student who is not able to go home for Thanksgiving. I know about the service at St. Pauls but do you know of any good places to get a real thanksgiving dinner without paying 25 quid a head? I'm at LSE and without a car so central is better. Thank you!

T.R. Reid: I notice that my local pub on S. Audley St., The Audley, is featuring thanksgiving dinner on Thursday.
The annual American Thanksgiving service at St. Paul's Cathedral is a wonderful event. Normally, I try to avoid all ex-pat activities, but last year Penelope Reid was singing in the St. Paul's service, so we went. Totally loved it. It is the only day all year when St. Paul's Cathedral is filled with people, the church dean said. They sing all those wonderful American Thanksgiving hymns ("Come ye thankful people come, Bring the joy of harvest home...").
By the end of the service, when they sing "America the Beautiful," there's not a dry eye in the house. It's a marvelous festival of Americanism. I wouldn't miss it now.

St. Joseph, Mo.: Happy Thanksgiving! Having just come back from London, I noticed an emphasis in many of the trendier places on foods without preservatives or chemicals, which I think has also been reflected in the arguments against genetically-modified crops. Do you think Brits are getting more sensitive and adamant about this, or are things going the other way?

T.R. Reid: Yes, the British in particular, and Europeans in general, are extremely, even ridiculously, sensitive about what's in their food. The EU has a rule now that every store and restaurant has to have a sign saying whether or not it serves Genetically Modified foods. Most of the places I go have fudged this by putting up a sign saying, "Our stuff may contain GM foods."
It's funny, because the Brits have no problem with traditional hybrid crops. The nectarine is a man-made genetic mutant that marries the genes of a peach and plum. They eat those like mad. But a genetically modified soy bean is seen as a great threat. I don't see the difference.
I think anti-Americanism plays some part in this, because it is perceived here that most GM seeds come from US companies.

Bethesda, MD: To the person heading to London tonight -I wonder if I can fit in your suitcase?--- a cool Indian restaurant is Veraswamee. It was one of my favorite restaurants when I went to London in July.

T.R. Reid: I just posted this so the other person can see it.

McLean, VA: Your intro welcomes requests on royal gossip, so here we go...

Here in the States gossip columns have been speculating about a liaison between Prince William and a friend of family who is in her late twenties--I believe her name is Tara. Anything thoughts on this tidbit?

T.R. Reid: that would be the notorious girl-about-town, Tara Palmer-Tompkinson. Her parents are good friends of Prince Charles, and she has traded on that connections shamelessly to make herself famous. She's a classic case of someone who is famous for being famous.
Tara's problem is that she got hooked on drugs and had to go to Arizona to get the cure. When she had the courage to admit this, the royals cut her off and have never invited her back to any formal party. So Tara, desperate for attention, wrote a column denying the rumor that she had had an affair with Prince William, the 17-year-old son of Charles. Of course, there was no such rumor until she printed it herself. So she's been further denounced for that gambit.

Arlington, VA: I find it interesting that a nation of people who eat Scotch eggs, deep-fried sausages, and blood pudding are up in arms about genetically modified foods.

T.R. Reid: Yeah. When I first came here, I had breakfast in Belfast with George Mitchell, and of course I ordered something called the "traditional Ulster grill." Which turned out to be the classic English breakfast -- sausage, black pudding, eggs, ham, buttered scones, etc. And Mitchell said, "I call that breakfast a heart attack on a plate."

Arlington, Va: Why do Liverpudlians, or "scousers", get such a bad wrap in the UK? Is it because the ruling upper classes of Southeast England look down upon lowly "working class" Liverpool, or is it true what they say, that the "lot of them are nothing but thieves and scallywags? I'm been to Liverppol, and I think it's a great place to visit.

T.R. Reid: Class distinctions are powerful in Britain. Your home town, your high school, and your accent tell people all they need to know to judge your class. And a scouser from Liverpool probably comes out at the low end on all three categories.

Annandale, VA: Also to the London visitor tonight. If you get a chance to go to Southall -15 minutes from Heathrow- there are a bunch of nice, London-cozy, inexpensive but fabulous Indian restaurants.

T.R. Reid: thanks for this tip, too.

Arlington, VA: So do you get the week off between Christmas and New Years like everyone else over there, or does the Post still try to work you to death whenever it can?

T.R. Reid: My big struggle as a foreign correspondent is usually to convince the eds that my stories are as good as the stuff they have back in DC. A total social upheaval in Europe will generally lose out to some House committee vote on an amendment to an amendment on the DC appropriation.
And I have learned over the years that the 52nd week is a great time to get good foreign stories into the paper. I bet I've had more page-one stories on Jan. 1 and 2 than any other Post reporter.

Washington D.C.: We're thinking of retiring to England as non-dependant parents and grand parents. Do we qualify for National Health? Suggestions re books or pamphlets available? Any general comments? Will the dogs-rabies regulations be changed, an if so when for US visitor? We'll be looking to reside well outside London, probably Gloucestershire, where the grandkiddies are. Thanks much.

T.R. Reid: Three days after our family arrived here, one of my daughters had a painful infection around her newly pierced ear (And her Dad had told her not to get it pierced).
So we got in a cab and asked for the nearest emergency ward. The people there took us in, treated my daughter swiftly and competently, and sent us home. No bill, no questions asked. We lived here, so we were eligible. You will be, too.
I'm sure the British embassy has pamphlets and the like.

Arlington, VA: I wish the Post would use more of your stuff. I'm appalled by the Post's foreign news section--it's so tiny, and barely scratches the surface of what's happening overseas. At least now I can access papers in foreign countries over the Internet to get my news.

T.R. Reid: And, since you got me started, the Post no longer has a separate foreign news section, which means we've lost our cherished "World Front Page." Big mistake, in my view, although the bosses consider this progress.
My secret is, just turn to page A-47 or so every day, and you'll find good foreign stories.

College Park, Md.: Hello TR,

It seems to me that the UK---well, London at least---is celebrating the new millennium more lavishly than the US. The same was true for the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Is the US incapable of national celebration? Even the July 4th fireworks on the Mall are not as spectacular as the summer firework displays in most Japanese cities.

T.R. Reid: Please read my upcoming story (probably won't run until mid-December) on all the cities around the world claiming to be the capital of the Millennium celebrations. London is making a huge deal about this, because London has the Prime Meridian, therefore it is the "Home of Time," therefore it is the home of the Millennium.
It's a stretch, but I admire them for making the effort.

Glover Park, DC: For all of the Blair-ites, there are also those that contend that the Labor gov't is suppressing dissension within the party - could you expound on how that could happen?

In my mind, I liken it to the Contract With America Republican zeitgeist a few years back.

Also-for the DC to London traveller-try Drummond Street restuarants -near Euston- for good Indian. It's not as far out as Brick Lane.

T.R. Reid: You're right. Tony Blair is one of the most popular and powerful PM's here in decades, but he seems thin-skinned about criticism and terrified of dissent within his party. I think this is because he saw another powerful PM, Margaret Thatcher, lose control of her party, and it cost her the job. He's determined that it won't happen to him.
But I think if Blair does get into trouble, it will be his dislike of dissent and criticism that destroys him.

Denver, Colorado: Will you be eating a Thanksgiving dinner at
home this year? Will you go to St. Paul's
Cathedral again?

T.R. Reid: Yes and yes. Penelope Reid is signing at St. Paul's Cathedral again this year, so of course I will be there. (After that I'm going to do C-SPAN's morning call-in show, so I can do an unbiased review of her performance for the US audience). Then we're going home with a large group for thanksgiving dinner. This is easy here, because you can buy just about everything required for a traditional thanksgiving dinner in Britain. We have to make the sweet potato pies, though.

Birmingham, AL: How are the English reacting to the new Scottish parliament? Was it a blow to their egos that the Scots would chose to break away from the UK? Will they become independent?

T.R. Reid: I think most British people have been pretty generous about the Scottish parliament. Nobody seems to see it as a threat. Some residents of England are now demanding creation of a separate English parliament (since Wales, Scotland, and soon N.I. have their own). But there's really no need for that, since England has about 85 percent of the votes in the British parliament.
The Conservative Party, looking for any issue to use against Labor, has been trying to stir up some English nationalism. But without success, so far.

Arlington, VA: I think part of Tony Blair's success has to be that he actually seems to consider what the people want. For example, he's the only prime minister that I've seen that gives a damn about what's happening in Northern Ireland, and he also didn't try to block Scotland and Wales in their quests for their own parliament. Thatcher did whatever the hell she wanted, and look what happened.

T.R. Reid: Wellll, Thatcher revived the economy of a nation that was in dire straits. I agree with you that she set her own agenda, and the people be damned, but for 12 years the people liked it well enough. There are a lot of good results of Thatcherism still evident here.
As I keep writing, Blair has been extremely successful, on Northern ireland, Kosovo, the economy, Scottish and Welsh devolution, and the Lords. And his program is popular. Unlike American presidents, he set forth a pretty clear statement of specific promises before the election, and he is sort of ticking them off one by one now.
Iyt still remains to be seen if Blair can succeed with the NHS and the schools.

Arlington, VA: I was never able to find canned pumpkin, however.

T.R. Reid: Particularly not if the pumpkins were grown from GM hybrid seeds.
While you are eating your pumpkin pie, tomorrow, everybody, please leaf through your Washington Post and look for my blockbuster story from Spain on the "superjudge" who had the guts to indict Augusto Pinochet. With my luck, this will probably run on p. Z-76 of the Thanksgiving Day paper.
Holiday cheer, tom reid

washingtonpost.com: Thanks to T.R. Reid for joining us from London and to all who participated today. Happy Thanksgiving.

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