By Dave Lee (pictured in NZ earlier this year)

WE’VE never seen anything like this. Not since the historic Labour landslide in 1997 has the British public been so gripped on an election.

Indeed, it could be argued that the US elections are of almost equal importance to our own, given the nature of the ongoing relationship between the two countries.

The choices the winning candidate comes to make will have a direct impact on all our lives. When it comes to military might, we often follow America’s lead. Those with loved ones in the British forces are watching the results very closely tonight.

Like Chicago and Phoenix, London is bracing itself for victory celebrations. According to the freesheets, the place to be tonight is the famous Grosvenor Square, home to the American Embassy. Thousands are expected to celebrate the new president – whoever it ends up being – into the early hours.

And believe me, it will be the early hours. As I write this, it is 11:35pm (UK) and the electoral vote tally sits at 0-0. It’ll be hours until we know the final result. Even longer if there is a recount.

The BBC has flown out more than 150 staff to the United States, including big names like David Dimbleby. A coming of age too for Jeremy Vine, who is surely being groomed to be the new face of political journalism on the BBC.

Newspaper websites compete for the best use of social media to guide readers through the historic night. A paper review at 10:30pm (UK) showed just how important the web coverage will be for newspapers. It is unlikely that our daily newspapers will carry the result tomorrow, even though by the time we get our hands on a copy, we’ll know who’s victorious.

If the elections were held here, there would be a clear winner. Had Sarah Palin been British, her extreme views on abortion and gun laws would prevent her from even becoming a Member of Parliament, let alone the second in command.

After the glitz and glamour of the campaigns stateside, it’s hard to see how the anticipation can be topped when our own elections come around in May.

Election fever has well and truly gripped the nation. Even the Daily Star will be leading with the elections tomorrow. One media commentator said he has been doing paper reviews for nearly ten years and the Star has never led on a foreign story… until now.

Tabloid-lovers can rest assured, however:  I’m told normal boob service will be resumed on Thursday. Whether we can enjoy such visual journalism under the Presidency of Barack Obama or John McCain remains to be seen.

Dave Lee was at Whitiriea Journalism School earlier this year and headed the project to set up NewsWire. He now works for the BBC.