Obama is jetting over to tell us to stay in the EU.
Barack Obama will jet into the UK next month and use his star power to convince Britons they should vote to stay in the European Union.
It’s difficult to know where to start. I mean, will US citizens take well to Cameron jetting over to tell them what to vote in their presidential elections? Since when is it okay for the head of a foreign power to intervene in a domestic vote? In what way is this even remotely okay?
The timing of the US President’s intervention, a major coup for the Remain campaign…
A major coup? Really? I suspect that even those planning on voting to remain will see this as hubristic arrogance and intervention where it is highly inappropriate.
The source said: “Barack Obama is coming over at around that time. You wouldn’t look stupid saying that [the President is going to tell British voters to stay in the EU]. It would be pretty shocking if he didn’t ask voters to stay in the EU.”
Actually, the opposite. As the head of a foreign power, I expect him to keep his mouth shut and mind his own fucking business instead of poking about in ours.
Rumours have circulated for months that Mr Obama, who is considered the greatest electoral campaigner of his generation after becoming the first black person to win the White House in 2008, would intervene on the EU vote.
Something he has no right to do. This is a UK referendum, not an American one. We don’t interfere in US elections (unless you are the editor of the Guardian) and we expect him to keep out of ours.
Bob Corker, the chairman of the US Senate foreign relations committee, said last month that Mr Obama was planning “a big, public reach-out” to persuade British voters of the merits of staying in the EU.
I’ll be reaching out right back, with my middle finger extended.
Brexiteers are furious at the prospect of Mr Obama swaying undecided British voters.
Well, quite. It is none of his concern.
Steve Baker, the Conservative MP who said Britain’s recent EU membership renegotiations were akin to “polishing poo”, told the IoS: “Whenever a US president intervenes in our constitutional future, I always reread the US Declaration of Independence. We will solve peacefully at the ballot box the problem for which their nation fought a bloody war of insurrection.
“I will take lessons from the US president when the US accepts a supreme court over its own, and free movement from Canada to Central America – but God bless America!”
Indeed. But, then, that is probably too subtle…
Let’s face it, Obama has fuck all else to do at the moment
I have written to B.O. at the White House, asking when our Queen or Prime Minister has visited the US to ‘talk’ to the population about voting in the US Pesidential elections. They haven’t because it is none of our business! The UK EU referendum is none of his and please butt out!
Bet I don’t get a reply, or perhaps FBI agents at my door?!!!!! Will let you know!
Good luck with that 😉
You might get your reply at the airport if/when you try to fly to the USA. It’ll start with “Please wait one moment while I get a supervisor”
No problem Rick, I have no intention of flying to the USA – EVER!
Likewise. Their obsessive and OTT security theatre means it is off my travel list.
I’m actually beginning to think this is good for the Leave camp. People are fed up with politicians, of all hues, and the more the political class (including the usual media, BBC etc) starts to push in one direction I think the more people will start to go in the other.
So if Obama turns up and starts lecturing us on staying in the EU, thats actually good for the Leave vote. There’s plenty of people who hate the US, and being told to vote Remain is almost guaranteed to get them to want to do the opposite.
John Redwood summed it up quite well.
‘If letting foreign countries impose laws on you, levy taxes on you and spend your money is such a good idea, why doesn’t Obama create an American Union so Mexico can have common borders with the U.S., Cuba can spend U.S. tax on itself and Brazil can impose laws on the U.S. that the U.S. doesn’t want?
‘If he did that to the U.S. and it worked, then he would be in a stronger moral position to lecture us on having common borders with Eastern Europe, having Greece spend our money and having laws the Germans want, but we don’t.
Doesn’t the Declaration of Independence say something about no taxation without representation? Since our MEPs have little or no actual power, taxation without representation would appear to be precisely what we have. In any case the buggers help themselves to huge amounts of our cash and we certainly don’t get to say what they spend it on.
“I’ll be reaching out right back, with my middle finger extended.”
‘Up yours’ is insufficient. I’ll be delivering the good old fashioned
two fingers up. It’s unmistakable message both English and undiluted…