The Smiley Smile Message Board

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/21/as-your-friend-let-me-tell-you-that-the-eu-makes-britain-even-gr/

This bellend has long since worn out his welcome on the political stage. It's a testament to just how much the world can't stand him that even Brits who were skeptical of an EU referendum now want out.

I don't know about that. First, at home, the latest Gallup poll has 51% of Americans approving of Pres. Obama, with just 44% disapproving. He won two elections by wide margins, and that current rating shows an increase, not a decline.

Gallup also does a survey of citizens worldwide about their opinions of leaders of some of the world powers (USA, EU, Germany, China, Russia). The US is the most-approved-of, at 45% (Germany at 41%, EU at 39%; Russia is the lowest, at 22% approval). While it doesn't show country-by-country results by number (it's an infographic), UK looks to be pretty solidly approving. I'd guess it's in the 50s%, at least. The caveat is that this worldwide survey is dated 2015.

A UK Telegraph survey from last month shows UK 51% in favor of remaining in the EU. A more recent poll--April 19--from theweek.co.uk (I don't know that publication and won't be vouching for its stature) shows 52% wanting to remain to 43% wanting to leave.

So it's hardly as clear-cut opposed to the EU and Obama as you paint it to be. If anything, it's the opposite, with a strong minority opposed.

This is a real question: is 'bellend' a word that I don't know or is that a typo?
Forget it. Urban dictionary.
Well.

Absolutely. Relatively speaking, global opinion of the US since Obama has gone up for the most part. According to the Pew Research Centre, opinion of the US in Bush's last year in office in England was 53%. In 2015, it was 65%. In France, it is 73% (2015) compared to 42% (2008). In Germany, where opinion is quite low comparatively, it is 50% (2015) compared to 31% (2008). Spain: 65% (2015) to 33% (2008). And so on and so on. Really the one major exception is Russia but that's for very particular reasons.

The notion that Obama is uniquely disliked by the world and has lowered global opinion of the US is a really popular right wing fantasy.

Source: http://www.pewglobal.org/2015/06/23/1-americas-global-image/

I've always thought it was a strange idea that opinion of the US would go down from W Bush to Obama. I mean, even ignoring policy and war-starting and the rest of the world's bemusement (at best) by US Conservatives, there's just personal dignity.

Regarding the issue of the UK and the EU, though, I don't have a strong opinion. On one hand, I like the idea of opening borders, free travel, easier commerce. On the other, these are sovereign nations and not states, and particularly without a joint fiscal policy in particular, I can understand challenges. To some extent to this not-usually-attentive outsider, the status quo seems like an uncomfortable middle ground to me.