I quite like having the American President over here, not because i think he is a particular good President or has made the World a better place by his appointment, it's because British politics and politicians are boring and he is a great diversion.
My highlights so far has been his car getting stuck exiting the US Embassy in Dublin and his signing the guest book in Westminster Abbey book and putting the wrong date, writing 24 May 2008. Surely Americans do the date other way around? You sure he is American? Has anybody checked his birth certificate recently?
David Cameron has been fawning over him as expected and Obama does seem to have a genuine liking for our Queen but i wish they wouldn't keep going on about our so-called special relationship.
Britain’s obsession with its trans-Atlantic alliance has always struck me as a bit strange and one sided. America has many special relationships, unfortunately the one with Israel being the closest, and as Obama moves around Europe, undoubtedly he will use the special relationship phrase again and again depending on which country he is in at the time.
It was only a few short years ago that the largest mid-week demonstration that this country has ever seen was because of the arrival of the previous American President, widely despised everywhere outside of the American bible belt.
Our role in the special relationship seems to be as the excited puppy who bounces around Americas heels and is rewarded by a pat on the head, or a Presidential visit, every so often.
There is much to admire regarding America but let's not keep up this pretence that the bond between London and Washington is anymore special than the one between Washington and Beijing, New Delhi or Paris. Our own special relationship should be with the likes of Germany and France, countries that we have many more political and economic ties with and not America who will make every effort to woo emerging markets like China and India as the tectonic plates of international relations shift and we become just another smallish country hoping to get noticed and looking for that comforting pat on the head.
3 comments:
A fantastic post, Lucy.
Obama's kissy, kissy, is all about trying to show that America is not trying to control the world but, with its close friends (the whole two of them) is working feverishly towards world peace (while it is making mega-bucks from making and selling weapons of war and initiating them.
The U.S. backed off in Libya because its imperialism was becoming too obvious!
America is using Britain just like it uses Australia and any other nation silly enough to believe its 'We Want Peace' propaganda.
With America as friends, who needs enemies!
lucy,
the bond may not be special between washington and uk but for most anglo-americans that i know it is special. and i'd say it is more special with brits than with canadians or other former UK colonies.
of course, we will nuke anybody for oil...
q
On a general personal level i would say Brits and Americans get along fine, our two countries are so entwined historically, culturally, militarily, politically and socially in so many ways that we are not with others such as Canada or Australia. Arguably, the former UK colonies have a chip on their shoulders regarding what we did to them back in our pomp whereas America pushed us out quickly and early on in our empire building phase so the festering of resentment hasn't appeared.
I also think Americans and Brits get our humour and our quirks much more than other nations.
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