Barack Obama proposes fairer UK partnership

In today's Daily Telegraph, published in the UK, is an article about a telephone conference Barack Obama had with supporters in London were he proposed a fairer, more even relationship between America and the UK

Daily Telegraph Link

Barack Obama said

We have a chance to recalibrate the relationship and for the United Kingdom to work with America as a full partner,

and went on to say

I was brought up by an expatriate and I know what it's like to look at the world differently

This won't come as a surprise to anyone but America's diplomatic activities abroad under Bush have not won too many fans. I'm not entirely sure the term "full partner" means much considering the obvious disparities of size in just about every aspect of the two countries. Honest and constructive partnership should be the goal. I'd also like to see the US and UK re-engage with the UN to help reform it so that it works better and makes some progress dealing with current international problems.

From my own perspective the Bush-Blair relationship reduced the UK to slavishly following the US. Prime Ministers in the UK often feel the fear of failure in ensuring that they are on the good side of the US government while forgetting their responsibility to the British people. Though the current Prime Minister Gordon Brown is himself experiencing great political difficulty and may not be in office for too much longer, I suspect he is biding his time for the potential election of Barack Obama so that he can complete the withdrawal of British forces from Southern Iraq in tandem with a larger US withdrawal.

Besides the cultural links of the 2 countries I doubt there will be little change to the most important governmental collaborations between the US and UK which is intelligence gathering/sharing and military co-operation.

As for the election campaign at least it was the Canadians who got into hot water because of meddling over NAFTA rather than the UK repeating John Major's mistake of helping George H. W. Bush against Bill Clinton.

The event was hosted by Elisabeth Murdoch, daughter of Rupert Murdoch, attended by about 200 supporters and raised $200,000 for Obama's campaign coffers.

•  Tip Jar

  Tips for the special relationship

  by Dougie on Tue May 27, 2008 at 08:19:00 AM PDT

•  I spent 2000-2006 in London

  That stance will go over VERY well in the UK.

  Much of the Labour Party's downfall has to do with the perception they acted as Bush's "poodles" in the Iraq fiasco.

  by kat68 on Tue May 27, 2008 at 08:20:16 AM PDT

  •  Blair mostly took the heat for that

    The Labour Party Members of Parliament are relatively unscathed by the Iraq War vote because the main opposition party also voted for it. Besides the disparity of Labour's core philosophy and the Iraq vote, Labour voters themselves haven't punished their local MPs.

    Gordon Brown and the Labour Party's problems are much more centred around economic problems, quality of life problems and the government's poor finances.

    by Dougie on Tue May 27, 2008 at 08:31:29 AM PDT

  •  I am from the UK

    and seriously doubt whether the people of the UK want a "partnership" at all....the UK Government is a different matter.

    However in reality this is rather easy for Obama to say.....all US presidents say this. They are hardly likely to say that they are for an unequal partnership are they? Sorry, it's pretty meaningless.

    by diranuk on Tue May 27, 2008 at 09:23:28 AM PDT

•  And as usual...

  The right will get all twitterpated about how Obama wants to usher in a "post-America era" where our influence will be diminished.

  by droogie6655321 on Tue May 27, 2008 at 08:20:46 AM PDT

  •  Obama's presidency might usher it in...

    ...but Bush's presidency is when it came knocking on the door, by engraved invitation.

    by Del C on Tue May 27, 2008 at 08:27:24 AM PDT

  •  Get this

    you could say that John McCain is old enough to have lived in a pre-American era (assuming WW2 as the rise of a dominant US).

    America can do everything great but perhaps what it needs is a goal. Winning WW2, combating Communism, landing on the Moon etc. The war and the space program certainly ushered in dramatic progress in technology and even a certain extent human development with the post-War international human rights law and placing the Earth and humanity in a Universal context.

    Of course there are options like manned missions to Mars but the most pressing and revolutionary I believe is the energy revolution. A combination of finite resources and climate change demands massive effort. Renewable technologies need better research and development as well as considering the ITER fusion project which is close to starting construction of the first medium sized demonstration fusion reactor in Southern France.

    by Dougie on Tue May 27, 2008 at 08:43:44 AM PDT

•  From poodle back to bulldog?

  One of the worst bits of collateral damage from the Bush years is the unfortunate destruction of Tony Blair.  Maddening how Bush was left standing while Tony was run out on a rail for BUSH's sins.  I am convinced that Tony only sacrificed himself by backing Bush to preserve the Western coalition that faced certain destruction if Bush was left to fight his insane war a lone, which he was determined to do.  I hope someday somebody will get Tony on record explaining what really happened.

  Tony was a great partner with Bill Clinton-- both men were genuinely simpatico and shared as forward thinking and global perspective.  Bush shot that all to hell.  Just imagining the Chimperor and Blair in the same room was like suffering through a horrible buddy movie starring Hugh Grant and Larry the Cable Guy.  (Kill me now!)

  This is a timely diary.  Just last weekend I heard about Tony giving a speech encouraging global thinking and partnerships.  All poodleiciousness aside, it is exciting to think about the possibilities of a newly-rehabbed President Obama/Tony/UK alliance.

  by For Dean in Dixie on Tue May 27, 2008 at 09:50:38 AM PDT