Has Gordon Brown angered his new friend Barak Obama?
As Barack Obama pushes ahead with his "protectionism bill" to defend the US economy against foreign traders and foreign companies, it would appear that Gordon Brown is at serious odds with this strategy. It is widely known that the two men have discussed the issue since Obama's induction into the White House although Gordon Brown's public statements place him at the opposite end of the spectrum with regards to protectionism and free markets. Will this affect the "special relationship" which the US is said to have with the UK?
While in the days of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan the US/UK special relationship saw both parties on the same level throughout the "relationship". However, since the introduction of Tony Blair to the mix (and Gordon Brown today) it appears that the UK is very much following the lead of the US presidents and the parity between the two parties has disappeared.
In reality, Barack Obama has no real concern about Gordon Brown's opinions on the issue of protectionism as he will do what he needs to do to ensure the US economy recovers as quickly as possible. On the flipside of the coin, Gordon Brown will also do what he feels he has to do to assist the UK although obviously he does not have the same level of funding available as his US counterpart. The days of an equal UK/US relationship would appear very much to be something of the past.
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