Thursday 22 January 2009

Brits love Obama, Obama maybe not so keen on Brits


It is difficult to overstate how much the Brits love Obama. Labour loves him because he is not Bush, though they kid themselves that he's 'left' while Cameron's Tories love him because they seem him as closer to their world view. They are probably accurate, although its a shame for them Obama has already dismissed Cameron as a lightweight. The Lib Dems are positively gagging for his firm hand on their naughty bottoms while Alex Salmond has already invited him over for haggis, neeps and tatties.

But the problem for Britain is not so much individual leaders - though its hard to see anyone being thrilled of having that one-eyed freak Brown come over and hector you about stuff - but the very nature of Britain itself. It has been widely reported that Obama doesn't do the 'special relationship' thing. It's also been reported that he's privately found the British diplomats and Foreign Ofice mandarins in Washington he's encountered to be slimy, supercilious and patronising. Which of course they are.

In this piece from The Guardian, Simon Tisdall gives a good account of why Obama may not be so keen on the Brits. Hint: British soldiers torturing his Grandad in Kenya may not have helped.

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