OBAMA THE BULLY-BOY

So now we know.

For decades, we've believed that there was a 'special relationship' between the United Kingdom and the United States of America, but no more it seems. President Barack Obama, a man who is in the dead-duck, dying days of his incumbency, has said that if the UK dares to leave the European Union, it can expect no special help from the USA when it comes to matters of trade. If this isn't an attempt to frighten the British people into doing what the yanks want, it's a pretty good bluff.

In truth, Obama doesn't actually have the authority to make any such claims; if we in the UK make the only sensible decision and vote to divorce ourselves from the suffocating and debilitating overlordship of the EU, everything will change. Those who have been doing their best to terrify us into maintaining the status quo will suddenly be confronted with a need to court us; in very many cases, they need our trade and business much more than we need theirs. After all, we import far more in goods than we export - will those exporting countries REALLY want to make life difficult for both us and their own industries ? Frankly, the same applies to the United States, the 'Land of the Free' where exporters will not be at all happy if their government makes arbitrary decisions to penalise both the UK, and them, simply because we haven't done what their leaders want. I can imagine companies such as Google, Apple, Microsoft and others, being less than happy about the idea of being hit with new trade restrictions, tariffs, taxes and a raft of special rules and regulations; Mr President, go boil your head !

Obama will be gone on 20th January 2017 and the future relationship between the USA and the UK, whether we stay in or leave the EU, will be determined by his successor; Obama's views will be largely irrelevant and his influence will be minimal. Indeed, Obama has had a negative approval rating amongst his own people for the last 2 years, according to Gallup Polls, making one wonder how seriously his remarks should be taken anyway; his has been, at best, an undistinguished, even a disappointing, Presidency.

No American would accept being told what to do by the British, and we should not accept being told what to do by the Americans, even if it's by their President. This is true 'bully-boy' tactics and we should tell the bully to 'bully off'. VOTE LEAVE !