Reject cynicism, take the long view, Obama tells British youth

The US President however pressed his point in an address to a gathering of young people in the town hall.

On the second day of his visit to London, United States President Barack Obama stayed with the script of his visit – telling the British to vote to stay in the European Union in the June 23 in-out referendum, or fall “back of the queue” in trade deals with the US.

His appeal has met with a barrage of criticism from the Vote to Leave supporters ranging from accusations that his speech at the press conference with Prime Minister David Cameron was written by Downing Street to interference and ill-considered advice to a sovereign country.

The left-right political divide in Britain has become increasingly blurred in the debate. For example Nigel Farage, leader of the pro-Brexit and anti-immigration United Kingdom Independence Party, has called Mr. Obama the “most anti-British” of American presidents for championing the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Calling the secret deal a “corporatist stitch-up between the U.S. establishment and the European Union” that will ultimately privatise the National Health Service (NHS) and open it up to big multinationals. On immigration he said “Let’s get real; would any American President seriously open up their borders unconditionally to Mexico as the UK has done to the whole of the EU? No chance.”

Boris Johnson, whose description of President Obama as part-Kenyan has attracted much criticism, with Labour Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell calling it an example of “dog-whistle racism.”

The US President however pressed his point in an address to a gathering of young people in the town hall. He told them to “reject pessimism and cynicism” and "know that progress is possible and problems can be solved”. Going back to the “arc of history” argument he made in his op-ed in the Daily Telegraph, Mr. Obama told his young audience to take the long view in measuring the success their endeavors.

“Don't give up and succumb to cynicism if after five years poverty has not been eradicated and we haven't resolved all of the steps we need to take to reverse climate change.”

Mr. Obama is a popular figure in the UK, with his popularity ratings higher than those of Mr. Cameron or Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr. Obama and his wife Michelle Obama visited the Globe Theatre where a travelling group of Shakespearian actors have returned to the Globe on Shakespeare’s centenary day after a two-year world tour in which they enacted Hamlet in diverse locations.

Keywords: US President Barack Obama, Barack Obama visit to United Kingdom, Obama address to British youth