As Barack Obama is inaugurated again, shouldn't we Brits be feeling a little embarrassed by all this? The Presidential Inauguration (and I was lucky enough to be there four years ago), is far more than a celebration of the man taking the oath. It is a huge public affirmation of everything Americans, and citizens of democratic countries value above all else. It is utterly inspiring. Compare it to an inauguration in this country. The news copters hovering suspiciously above the palace, the Prime Ministerial car parked outside, the newly elected leader politely asking permission to form a government, in a ceremony us, the voters, will never be allowed to see or hear. Americans have their parallels of this, too. When their equivalent of a royal wedding, the marriage of Chelsea Clinton, took place two years ago, the little town of Rhinebeck in upstate New York was subject to a one hundred mile exclusion zone. Weddings in private. Democracy in public. How did we ever get it so wrong?