h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Why not elaborate on exactly what you mean? I might agree with you, if I had any idea what the heck you were talking about.

On the world scene, Britain was at the height of her power and influence in the 19th Century. The United States held the same position in the 20th Century. In the 21st Century it will be China's turn.

So you are saying that tourists only visit countries, with monarchies, that are the dominating world power? Without a more detailed explanation, what you are saying sounds extremely foolish.

And I don't agree - the USA will remain the dominant power.

Uncle Monty, in boxing, a good big man will always beat a good small man. To further the metaphor, now that China has a forward-looking stable government, the power of its citizen's one billion brains will overwhelm the 350 million American brains.

This is why America had to scour the world (Western Europe, Australasia) looking for inovative thinkers and pay them to emigrate to America. It was the only way it could keep up with the more densely-populated USSR and Eastern Europe in the middle of the 20th Century. They will probably try to do the same with Asians in the early part of the 21st century.

Before this happens, for a short time, India will be the world's dominant power. It already exports most of the world's leading-edge digital-based software.

At least Britain with its relics - the monarchy etc - will still be visited by people interested in curiosities. In the latter part of the 21st century who would want to visit a polluted dump such as America?

I'm not convinced there is a link between tourism and political clout, but I could be wrong - anyway, I thought America's pollutants mostly ended up elsewhere?

The monarchy, at least in Britain, is really only there to add a bit of awe and splendour to the country. Good figureheads. And I reckon the queen is very good at that. Although she does have power, she, nor any other British monarch in these times, is there to control the government, or to make decisions. Before the Iraq war, Tony Blair was making all the talk saying we should go to war, while the royal family, at the time, was not really in the full glare of the media, and didn't really get involved in the issue. The royalty are there to impress people with the ceremony and so on, and to act as sort of elite diplomats. As I have already said, our current queen does so very well.

TAKBRN

INKWASH
What like the war in Iraq?-