Now Barack Obama pokes his nose in.

[Aggers]

Why on earth is Obama telling us how to vote in the forthcoming EU (in or out) vote?

Is it because he is Dave's buddy?

How much trading do we do with the USA anyway?

I wish we would mind his own business.

[Kaz]

I do too! he is doing more harm than good to be honest, as he is putting people's backs up - I am fairly pro Europe but he annoyed the heck out of me!

[TheOstrich]

Special relationship? What special relationship ..... let's face it, there's no such thing, and Obama's intervention just proved that. Do as we say, dumbos.

I have nothing but contempt for either Obama or Cameron.

I've been firmly Brexit for years in the scheme of things, so my response is nothing remarkable. Interestingly though, all Obama's intervention has done in this household is firm up Mrs O's views from probably Brexit to definitely Brexit. All I hope is that this latest episode has riled up some of the waverers to vote the same way ......

[KateLMead]

The Idiot brags of the support rendered to us in the Last war!! The Yanks stood by until "The Japs attacked Pearl Harbour" only then did they come to our aid and to protect their own interests.. I also noted his comment to a reporter stating "We burned his house down" this man and Hillary who are taking the same attitude need to be a strong warning to the general public."you get what you vote for" as for Cameron who has spent the good old tax payers hard earned cash to promote his cause he has shown his true colours. And let us remember the Russians who came to our defence. People have short memories.

[Aggers]

. People have short memories.

You haven't, Kate. Neither have I.

I agree with everything you say.

[Suff]

How much trading do we do with the USA anyway?

Outside of the EU? They are our single largest trading partner.

Then again, if we were outside the EU we could create our own trading relationships with the countries which the EU does not have agreements..... Just like the US does.

Perhaps the US just does not want the competition. Something which bears a lot of thinking about...

The US who won the war??? USAF 2,500 air sorties over Germany by day, RAF 6,0000 air sorties over Germany by night..... Yes, we needed lend lease. But, then again, they were doing lend lease to Germany too. Which they wrote off after the war, something they didn't do for Britain.

A _very_ special relationship indeed.

[Workingman]

Russia did not come to our aid in WWII, it was invaded by Nazi Germany via Operation Barbarossa in 1941. It was fighting for its life and any 'aid' to the allies was incidental to its survival.

Nor did Germany benefit during the war from lease-lend. It did benefit from the Marshall Plan after the war, as did most of Western Europe, but that was to the long-term economic benefit of the Americans.

The UK was the only nation to pay back its debts to the US from lease-lend, and rightly so, and if anything that gives us more right to interfere in US politics than Obama has to interfere in ours.

[Suff]

Hmmm, I should have put that more directly.

It wasn't so much "lend lease" as Germany was trading with the US companies before and even after the entry of the US into WW2.

Far from the state of play today where US companies can be severely punished for breaking US sanctions, the laws of "non intervention" did not stop companies supplying both sides, more that the US state itself did not supply direct military aid to either side. Had they been serious about non intervention, they would not have allowed US companies to trade through "neutral" countries with Germany.

Also it's useful to note that

His fellow American, the historian George Herring just as candidly wrote that lend-lease was not actually the most unselfish act in the history of mankind, but rather an act of prudent egotism, with the Americans fully aware of how they could benefit from it.

And that was indeed the case, as lend-lease proved to be an inexhaustible source of wealth for many American corporations. In fact, the United States was the only country in the anti-Hitler coalition to reap significant economic dividends from the war.

In short you are totally right WM. The fact that the UK was the only country to fully repay Lend Lease (Russia insisted on re-negotiating the cost) and the fact that the US companies made significant profits from selling material to Nazi Germany in WW2, does in fact give the UK more right to interfere in the US than the opposite.

In this I believe that Boris is absolutely right that the actions of Obama are driven more by his fathers treatment by the UK than by any "benign" wishes for the UK within the EU.

To me the fact that the UK staying in the EU would significantly benefit the US, therefore they would politically interfere in the UK politics to keep us there, is one of the very best reasons for the UK to leave.

[cromwell]

Trouble is, our TV news loves Obama with a passion. They get all dewy eyed at the mention of his name and talk about his scripted speeches as though they were Holy Writ.

Recently, 250,000 Germans demonstrated in the street about the proposed trade deal TTIP. Why? Maybe because they have been told about it and what it involves, as opposed to our media who have maintained a studious silence on the issue.

But Barack in the UK? Barack playing golf with the PM? Prince Harry giving Michelle a hug? Barack praising the EU and Angela Merkel? Never off the news.

We are sliding towards Idiocracy, and it's no accident. We're being fed the Hello! version of news.

[KateLMead]

One just hopes that the British people have the foresight to digest what we are facing if any of the parties who aim to "Stay in the EU" win.. We are not respected as a nation, We do as we are told, our democratic rights and freedom of speech has been eroded by the day as have our Human Rights that apply it seems to foreigners only!!! And the most shocking punishment of all we risk losing our Sovereignty. What disgusted me was the chosen audience for Obama, arranged by the "Con" Cameron paid for by the taxpayer ., not an English face to be seen in the photograph. Get ready for "Common Purpose" "The Ununited States of Europe" I suggest we follow the example of returning the twaddle from Westminster to number 10 without a stamp..