Maybe we should be very glad that Obama is going after all?

[Jupiter2Mars]

.. and is being replaced with someone with a very different outlook.

This is what Obama said yesterday:

" And then, in Germany, I’ll visit with Chancellor Merkel, who’s probably been my closest international partner these past eight years. I’ll also signal our solidarity with our closest allies, and express our support for a strong, integrated, and united Europe. It’s essential to our national security and it's essential to global stability. And that’s why the Transatlantic Alliance and the NATO Alliance have endured for decades under Democratic and Republican administrations. "

then aren't we in agreement?

I don't know. But do let me know what you decide.
:)

what?! and why the aggression?

"lwelj - I thought you were American? How would you know about the detail of British politics?"

I think this is one of the most telling sentences I have read on this subject. Says it all, really.

Trump is not prejudiced against us

If by "us" you mean Brits who are white, straight, and not members of minority religions.

"us" : I just meant people whose lives are in Britain. Don't put your own racist prejudices on me.

or homophobic ones. actually keep your isms away from me please.

Eh, Jupiter? That's clearly a statement about Trump, not you!

what?! and why the aggression?
You're funny. :)

Anyway, the future POTUS being prejudiced against the UK in relation to Germany or not is the least of your worries now.
Wait until you start seeing the effects of his prejudice for leaders like Putin. Or the rise to power of nationalist movements in Europe.

Please don't continue to feed this thread. The OP is as fruity as a box of fruit loops with a fruit bat inside.

Vanilla - I promise you that no one has ever suggested that i don't have my head properly screwed on before!
If that's how I've come across on this thread, then I'm surprised, and sorry that you came to this conclusion, but I'll wait until I hear it from more than one source in my life to start examining my behaviour and logic.

Just out of interest, has anyone ever asked you to defend your beliefs before? Did you manage to put an argument together?

Lewlj:
Do you mean the current POTUS, not the future POTUS? I'd say the current POTUS is displaying mild prejudice, but its not really a problem as there's pretty much nothing he can do?

Its too early to say for sure which way the future POTUS is leaning wrt to the UK. However, there are somereasons for optimism:

I heard Andrew Neil say on This Week on Thursday night that he found when he was in the US after the election, that the Trump camp were making positive noises in the direction of the UK, and that it looked like he wants to make an early trade deal with the UK. The reasons suggested were that Trump wants to demonstrate that although there has been some protectionist rhetoric, he favours making trade agreements. Secondly, Trump is not a fan of the EU and is willing to offer some counter-balance against the rest of the EU ruling class's desire to be seen to punish the UK for leaving.

PS Vanilla - you see! that's how it works! You say something, and then you explain it. Then maybe people agree or they disagree and offer their own counter-arguments. If the argument is particularly strong (and I am not saying mine are), then people might change their opinion, or you may all end up agreeing to differ. What you shouldn't do, is what you've been trying to do ie. just shout out a couple of soundbites that sounds like the sort of thing people around you might say, but which you probably don't even understand, and then expect the person you are addressing to immediately reverse their opinion because you've made a couple of unsubstantiated statements.

I did mean the future POTUS. You should read the entire post.

I did read it. You wrote:
"Anyway, the future POTUS being prejudiced against the UK in relation to Germany or not is the least of your worries now.
Wait until you start seeing the effects of his prejudice for leaders like Putin. Or the rise to power of nationalist movements in Europe. "

That implies that the future POTUS being prejudiced is, or may be a worry of mine. But it isn't.
The current POTUS being prejudiced, however, relates directly back to my OP (although i had not thought of it as a "prejudice" as such until you used the word). Thinking about it, Obama's personal opinion of the Uk could well be a prejudice. With Brexit, the UK has taken a turn that does not sit well with liberals, and then there's always the possibility that our colonial past might be something that still bothers people, even though it has been gone for at least 40 years.

I agree about Putin though. If i were him, I'd see Trump's presidency as an ideal moment to capitalise on the gains he made during Obama's presidency.

It implies, actually, that you are worried about POTUS bias between the UK and Germany, regardless of which POTUS, as you think the current one is biased towards Germany and you're happy that the future one isn't.
I was pointing out that, instead, you should be more worried about the bias that the future POTUS has towards the Russian government. Not happy at all.

If you got that from my first post, and/ or the thread title, then I must be bad at communicating!

Anyway, what I wanted to ask - if you have time - is could you expand on far right rise in Europe remark. I know very little about it, so its a genuine request for an explanation, not an opportunity to bicker with you.

🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲

Have your words failed you, Vanilla?

If you really can't do any better, then I am sorry for having pointed it out. If not, then its odd to stick around but not try.

Who is Fillon?

I think we possibly underestimate the extent to which we have lost esteem in the eyes of the wider world as a result of brexit. We have gone from steady, stable, reliable and sane nation to a bunch of fucking nutters in the minds of all but the politically extreme (le pen et al). We have forfeited our claim to be taken seriously. It is therefore no surprise that Mrs merkel comes to the fore for mr obama, and other well balanced observers.

because he's leading in the French primary count. Sarkozy is coming in 3rd (and a long way behind)

I've brushed up a bit on European politics. Is this correct:-
The key countries to look out for are France, Germany, Austria and Italy.

Austrian election - 4/12/16
Italian referendum (that may well lead to a general election) 4/12/16
French presidential election: April 2017
German federal election - Sept 2017 (probably) and Merkel is standing

I'm laughing at the "U.K. Has lost esteem in the rest of the world"

Many, many people in Europe want to follow the uk. Many, many people are fed up with the incompetent political systems they have and want to get rid of them. Hence Brexit and then Trump.

I hate Trump and I voted remain, but I actually agree with you OP. Trump will do a trade deal with the uk far quicker than Obama would have done.

The world is in a terrible state, and I'm worried sick about where it will all lead.

While Trump may well do a trade deal with the UK far quicker than Obama would have done, the problem is that Trump's America is also likely to do a lot less trade with the UK than Obama's would have done.

If Trump makes good on his campaign promises, the US will be putting up trade barriers. The US is our biggest trade partner and the UK has a lot to lose. Only the seriously naive would view Trump as a good thing for the UK.