Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

top

World

Obama plunges into Brexit debate to eurosceptic fury

– ‘Appeal from the heart’ –

Richard Whitman, professor of politics and international relations at the University of Kent, said Obama’s was “an unusually personal intervention”.

“He’s making a very strong appeal from the heart,” he said.

“It will be difficult to say from the polls whether his intervention made a significant difference but I think that it creates a narrative which appears to be favouring the ‘Remain’ campaign.”

A poll by Sky News television found 57 percent said Obama’s intervention would make “no difference” to their vote.

Sixty percent of respondents said Obama’s views on EU membership were not important in an ITV News poll conducted by ComRes, with 51 percent saying that Obama should not make his views on the issue public.

While experts warn many people have not yet decided how to vote, the “Remain” camp currently has 54 percent support compared to 46 percent for “Leave”, according to an average of the last six opinion polls by academics at the What UK Thinks project.

Seen from Washington, Cameron’s decision to call a referendum was a bold – if not downright risky – gamble that could leave Britain and the EU badly weakened.

“The EU has helped spread British values and practices – democracy, the rule of law, open markets – across the continent and to its periphery,” Obama wrote.

“The European Union doesn’t moderate British influence – it magnifies it.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Britain’s voice in the EU keeps the bloc “outward looking” and “closely linked” to the United States, he said.

About The Author

Pages: 1 2 3

Comments
Advertisement

More on Capital News