110% American

I was born in England, and was very disappointed when my original British passport was stolen a few years ago when our house was broken into. It was large, hardbacked, with a faux leather cover. It had a funny picture of me wearing me old school uniform with a crooked tie. But those old British passports had a dignity and gravitas to them that harked back to the days when travel was a regal and rarified activity, and it meant something to cross a border into an exotic new country. Now British passports follow the EU standard, small form factor, soft plasticky cover. More democratic, yes, but not particularly interesting.

Now I’m a dual British/US citizen so have an American passport too. Thanks to Design Observer for, um, warning us about the new design. Yowzer. These things look more like a billboard than a legal document. They’ve turned the cheeze-arific dial up to 11 this time. This smacks more of insecurity than anything from the most powerful country on the planet.