President Obama And The European Union

President Obama has always been popular over here in Blighty. Regardless of the political views of people Obama has always been held in genuinely high regard – which is more than you can say for most of our home grown politicians. The other day he was interviewed by the BBC and, unusually for a politician, answered all questions with a clearly open and honest view.

“The UK must stay in the European Union to continue to have influence on the world stage” he told the BBC reporter.

Oops.

He said the UK’s EU membership “gives us much greater confidence about the strength of the transatlantic union”.

British Eurosceptic politicians criticised his intervention, saying it was up to Britain to decide.

David Cameron has said a referendum on whether or not to remain a member of the EU will be held by the end of 2017.

That referendum will follow a renegotiation of the existing terms of British membership.

The prime minister has said he will campaign for Britain to remain in the EU if he gets the reforms he wants.

Speaking to the BBC’s North America editor Jon Sopel, the President said the EU “made the world safer and more prosperous”
.
Mr Obama said the UK was America’s “best partner” because of its willingness to project power beyond its “immediate self-interests to make this a more orderly, safer world”.

But former Environment Secretary Owen Paterson, now a leading eurosceptic backbencher, said President Obama was “trotting out the standard State Department consensus”.

He told the BBC that the United States “two centuries ago fought not to have laws imposed on them so I don’t think he’s in a strong position when we want to make our own laws in our own Parliament”.

In a nutshell, President Obama has, I believe, spoken from his own perspective. He may have been advised to say it but, looking at his body language and so forth I suspect he was really expressing ‘his’ own opinion.

I suspect that he will not now be viewed with such affection over in Britain as he has previously been by those against remaining in the EU.

Personally, I think, if that is the case, those who now view him less well are wrong.

I would dearly love us to leave the EU and deal with them from a completely independent position. I firmly believe that it would prove to be in Britain’s best interests to sever all political ties with the EU. There are those who would disagree with me wholeheartedly as they are entitled to do. Ultimately it will come down to a national referendum.

This may, or may not, put ‘the argument to bed’. It very much depends on whether the forthcoming referendum is straightforward. ‘IN’ or ‘OUT’.

Either way it is wrong to condemn Obama for expressing the views he did. He can only express his views based on his own knowledge and his own knowledge is almost certainly based on what his own advisers have told him and, quite conceivably, what our own Prime Minister has told him – remembering that Cameron wishes us to remain in the EU.

I, personally, will be very annoyed if Eurosceptics now ‘slag off’ Obama for stating his opinion – even if it isn’t exactly his.

An honest politician saying something you disagree mightily with is worth 10, nay, a hundred politicians lying and cheating their way through their sordid careers.

Your opinion on the EU and Britain’s continuing membership is, in my view, very very wrong Mr President.

Your open and honest answer to the question – an open and honest answer from a politician – was worth it’s weight in gold.

I disagree with you utterly but I admire you enormously and, so do all sensible Brits whether Europhile or Eurosceptic.

America? In forcing Obama to leave his post as President of The United States of America I can only say, with all respect, you know not what you do.

Of course, that is my open and honest opinion based on what my advisers have told me to say 😉

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