Obama, concern for the UK or US?

[ProfessorPreciseaBug]

Listening to Obama, I was struck that his language seemed to be about what is good for the US not what is good for the UK. Certainly the former US treasury secretary interviewed on the Today program was very US centric.

His comment about us going to the back of the queue, (and he did say queue instead of line because he was told to) seemed to be a bit of a threat. Is he out of order?

Boris is pro-European, he's just lining himself up behind Cameron if Brexit happens. I thought this was common knowledge.

Obama (or indeed any US politician) cares about the UK insofar as a prosperous, connected UK is a very useful ally for the USA in a world whose centre of gravity is becoming less and less anglophone.

The USA will care less about the UK if it leaves the EU, because the UK will be less prosperous and less connected and therefore a less useful ally.

It's not complicated, it's just ordinary politics and economics. Why this should surprise let alone shock anyone is completely beyond me. It seems to me that Obama did no more than state the blatantly obvious.

There's only one thing Boris is pro and that's Boris - vile vile vile man. Some of us still remember his Hillsborough comments , inter alia ( as he would say)

Bourdic do you remember 'picaninnies' and 'watermelon smiles'? He's outright racist.

Mybeloved why is the colour of your are relevant?

Bourdic Behave will you...seriously. Besides Obama's meddling in UK affairs and trying to steer us to an outcome that is in his countries best interests...

Does his race transcend the fact that he's bombed 7 different countries. He's been involved in 4 ongoing, full-scale wars. He's devastated Libya, his abject failure to address climate change or close Guantanamo. His involvement in the Honduran coup, his diplomatic and military support for Egypt's blood-soaked military junta, and his $150bn in arms sales sent to a Saudi Arabian tyranny who wreak havoc in Syria and Yemen, and behead women that are suspected of having an extra marital fling. Is all unmentionable -- co's he is Black?

Obama didn't mention his race, though, it was Boris and Nigel who played the race card.

Yoko yes absolutely. And how can anyone think that his making the half-Kenyan comment and the removing Churchill's bust is evidence of anything other than the politics of the gutter with a good helping of racism? And then there's Zac 'I used to be a non-Dom ' Goldsmth with his racist attacks on Khan, aided and abetted by Cameron. You know, just when you think the Tories can't sink any lower, they still surprise you. I despair

But ollivia that wasn't what was being discussed was it? And it is perfectly possible, as you have just demonstrated, to be critical of Obama without using insulting language. Obama's foreign policy, along with all recent USA Preseidents is a source of despair to many of us but on the domestic front there are successes - not as great as he wanted but the USA system makes it difficult when Congress is the other party.

And bloody hell, when we (UK) aren't fighting/interfering in other countries, we're busy selling a myriad of dictators and unsavoury leaders and despots the wherewithal to kill their own citizens and others.

The sheer vileness of the language used 'stinks' IMO. Obama has been treated with contempt by the racists in his own country and.I guess that attitude is alive and well here. Not playing the race card, just saying how it is. Look at what Boris did as well - it all stacks up.

Please get a grip ASAP. Consider all of the many brown people dead because of his drone strikes. The idea of someone calling Obama's critics racist is sickeningly ironic.

He can fuck off back to the USA and leave the UK to make its own decision. Like the USA would ever submit to the kinds of regulations the EU seeks to impose. Fuck off Obama.

That wasn't what was being discussed was it? Well it is now. Discussions evolve especially if you're going to imply that Obama being an ethnic trailblazer means he's untouchable.. Look if you're so easily offended by bad language, bile and insults -- whatever you do don't take a look at some of the 10 year old threads about GW Bush!

Olivia, the point is that the leave side has been actively selling the idea of an "Anglosphere" in which Britain will intensify trade relationships with anglophone countries (for practical, geographical and economic reasons this essentially means the US and Canada).

So, would you prefer to have a closer relationship with the USA, despite your reservations about US foreign politics? In what way is this preferable to being inside the EU? Or perhaps you'd prefer Britain's major world allies to be lily-white world powers like Russia o China? Hmm?

Obama's foreign policy, along with all recent USA Preseidents is a source of despair to many of us but on the domestic front there are successes

Oh great well as long as it works out well for the Americans.

Are you a teensy bit embarassed of calling people racist, given your blithe dismissal of what he's done to the other people on the planet?

I visited the US recently and described to an American who was an ardent Obama supporter why the UK is important to the US.

We are one of the for forward listening posts that is integral to the US ballistic missile defence network.

If an enemy airplane comes over the North Sea at Mach 2 skimming the waves flies over the cliffs at Holderness and turns a hard left over the Vale of York, gets inside the Vale of Pickering and attacks [http://www.raf.mod.uk/raffylingdales/aboutus/history.cfm RAF Fylingdales]] the US early warning system would be compromised.

The only thing that stands between that and global security is the RAF and assured destruction from an independent submarine nuclear deterrent that no one - not even the Americans can detect.

When push comes to shove you need your friends. I do not think we need to cow-tow to the US. I do think we should be an independent nation from the EU. We should be a respected and respectful friend to both the US, EU and our former colonies around the World. I hope over the next decade that happens and it will be a positive outcome for us and the World.

I think Barrack Obama has made a massive mistake coming to the UK on the Queen's birthday of all days and making threats. He will be gone soon. The UK will carry on. I hope for a better US - UK relationship based on mutual respect.

But Obama's critics have been racist, haven't they? Boris and Nigel both cited his African heritage as a reason he might have 'an ancestral problem' with the UK. That's racist, and it's absolutely right that they should be called on it. Citing Obama's foreign policy failures doesn't make those comments any less racist.

RAF Fylingdales RAF Fylingdales

How is it racist to suggest he might harbour disdain for Britain's colonial roots, having descended from one of its former colonies? You're going to have to explain that to me carefully.

Boris is pro-European, he's just lining himself up behind Cameron if Brexit happens.

And it has been suggested that Jeremy Corbyn isn't really pro-EU. Maybe they could swap!

'But Obama's critics have been racist, haven't they? Boris and Nigel both cited his African heritage as a reason he might have 'an ancestral problem' with the UK. That's racist,'

I am not sure it is racist, I think they were suggesting he was anti British due to his background, and they probably would have said something similar of other backgrounds such as German or Irish etc due to history. I thought it was in bad taste and bad manners to bring it up, but they were suggesting it was due to historical reasons rather than raicla reasons in my opinion as Britain had a historical relationship with Kenya and didn't with other African nations for example.

ABetaDad1 interesting post.

I didn't say I wanted out of the EU did I? Why are you assuming I am just because I object to Obama's interference?

The bottom line here is the question of whether or not the UK remains a part of the EU is a matter for British voters to decide. Obama should not be coming here at this time making his customary grandiose speeches about what we ought to do if we know what's good for us. How would he like it if members of our ruling establishment were over there telling them how they ought to be voting in their upcoming elections?

Also Michelle didn't curtsy to the Queen.

I just don't believe that bringing Obama's ancestral lineage into the debate is in any way relevant. What is Boris saying?

1. Obama's dad is Kenyan
2. Kenya is a former UK colony
3. Obama might hate the UK because he's half-Kenyan
4. This puts him firmly in the Bremain campaign, because Bremainers hate Britain, too.

Nope, I can't make head nor tail of it.

Also this idea that the UK is so vitally important to America is for the birds. Yes we have our functions, but Germany is the only European nation that is of any real importance to America. Seen as they run Europe this is hardly surprising.

I just did a word search for "Hate" on this page and the previous, the only time it came up was in your posts Yoko