President Barack Obama said Donald Trump is a lifetime member of the “global elite” who is trying to stir up in the U.S. the kind of anti-immigrant sentiment that drove Britain to vote itself out of the European Union.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The people of the UK exercised the power of a democratic society by voting for Brexit in the most stunning display of freedom this world has witnessed since the fall of the Berlin Wall under Ronald Reagan. But according to Obama, that amounts to nothing more than racism and anti-Muslim hatred. He also went on to imply that only racists would ever vote for Donald Trump. Nice to know how hardcore liberal democrats view our Constitutional freedoms, isn’t it? 

“There’s a xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment that’s flashing up not just in Great Britain but throughout Europe that has some parallels with what Mr. Trump has been trying to stir up here,” Obama said in an interview published Tuesday by NPR.

The president said that in his campaign for president, the real estate developer has sought to appeal to a sense of fear of newcomers and outsiders. He said the same strategy has been used by far-right leaders in Europe, including Marine Le Pen in France. Trump, he said, “embodies global elites” who are the subject of scorn in populist movements and has taken advantage of that position throughout his life.

“He’s hardly a legitimate spokesperson for a populist surge from working-class people on either side of the Atlantic,” Obama said.

Obama has vowed to campaign vigorously on behalf of presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who served as secretary of state in the president’s first term, and he has been stepping up the tempo of his criticism of Trump. He also threw his support behind U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron’s campaign to persuade Britons to reject withdrawal from the EU.

Trump is seeking to “tap into a fear that people may have about losing control and to offer some sort of big, nostalgic feelings about how we’ll make Britain great again, or we’ll make America great again,” Obama said. “The subtext for that is somehow that a bunch of foreigners and funny-looking people are coming in here and changing the basic character of the nation.”

Visiting Scotland the day after the Brexit vote, Trump compared the unexpected result with the upcoming U.S. election, saying Americans also wanted to take their country back.

“I really see a parallel between what is happening here and in the U.S.” Trump said, standing in front of his Turnberry golf course. In a statement after the vote, Trump said U.S. voters “will have the chance to re-declare their independence” in November.

During his yearlong campaign for the White House, Trump has proposed policies to ban Muslims from entering the U.S., build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico and impose higher tariffs on countries involved in global trade. He recently has softened some of his stands, including modifying the blanket ban on Muslims to focus on immigrants from countries with links to terrorists and promising his immigration policies would have “heart.” source

THE European Union cannot rely on NATO to protect its member states from external threats and must develop a policy of collective defence that allows it to “act autonomously if and when necessary”

According to a new foreign policy document from the Brussels-based institution to be handed to EU leaders next week, a “credible European defence” is also essential to preserve good relations with the US.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini’s Global Strategy document states that “as Europeans we must take greater responsibility for our security”.

The white paper adds: “While NATO exists to defend its members — most of which are European — from external attack, Europeans must be better equipped, trained and organised to contribute decisively to such collective efforts, as well as to act autonomously if and when necessary.

“A more credible European defence is essential also for the sake of a healthy transatlantic partnership with the United States.”

While it stresses that “NATO remains the primary framework for most member states”, it goes on to urge EU members to “channel a sufficient level of expenditure to defence”.

The document will be seized on by Eurosceptics as proof of a plot to set up an EU army – a notion that has been widely dismissed by diplomats in Brussels and London.

The warning of a European army was at the core of the Brexit campaign and became a hot topic with both sides trading blows over the truth of claims Brussels wanted to create a NATO-style organisation.

America subsidises European defence by vastly outspending all other NATO members and the EU believes a stronger continental force would take the pressure off the Pentagon.

But while the latest EU policy document calls for joint working on matters of defence, it stops short of explicitly calling for the creation of an EU army, which would require treaty change. The head of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, Elmar Brok, has also argued for “more cooperation in the European defence policy”.

Downing Street had previously stated there was “no prospect of an EU army”. However, with Britain out of Europe it will not be able to veto a treaty change on the combined force. source

Muslim mayor Sadiq Khan today called for London to “take back control” of its own destiny in the aftermath of the EU referendum.

The Mayor issued a demand for more tax-raising powers “right now” as well as far-reaching command of public services. His devolution wish-list stopped short of calling for London, the only English region to vote to stay within the EU, as a city-state.

But he stressed the extra powers would be necessary to protect the capital’s economy, jobs and prosperity from the uncertainty of Brexit ahead.

They include greater financial autonomy, as well as wide-ranging control over business and skills, housing and planning, transport, health and criminal justice.

It comes as a petition calling on the Mayor to declare London independent hit more than 170,000 signatures in just three days.

In a speech to business leaders, Mr Khan said: “As much as I might like the idea of a London city state, I’m not seriously talking about independence today. I am not planning to install border points on the M25.

“But on behalf of all Londoners, I am demanding more autonomy for the capital – right now. More autonomy in order to protect London’s economy from the uncertainty ahead, to protect the businesses from around the world who trade here and to protect our jobs, wealth and prosperity.”

The Mayor of London has control over just seven per cent of taxes raised within the capital yet equivalent global cities such as New York or Tokyo keep 50 per cent and 70 per cent respectively.

Mr Khan said the powers called for in the London Finance Commission report, which was championed by Boris Johnson, three years ago would just be a “starting point” and that conversations with Government would “go further”.

They could include control of stamp duty revenue, business taxes – which could be lowered and targeted – vehicle excise duty to help tackle air pollution and greater powers to borrow to invest in infrastructure.

However, he stressed that he wasn’t “asking for London to get a bigger slice of the British pie”, only for Londoners to “get more control over the slice of the pie we already get.”

The increase in revenue would be expected to be matched by a reduction in the grant from central government.

Sharia: Law unto themselves in UK?

So you think it’s fear-mongering when we say that Sharia Law is getting ready to overtake English law in the UK? You need to wake up, Sharia Law is creating a powerbase in the UK that will never be undone. 

Mr Khan said that people in the rest of the UK would benefit from more devolution for London “because when London succeeds, the rest of the country succeeds too. And when we fail, the entire nation fails.”

At The Times CEO summit, he warned the Government to “move fast” on devolution as London could not afford to “hang around” for the outcome of the EU negotiations before giving London more control.

Mr Khan, who is campaigning for Britain to remain in the single market, warned the referendum had created an “added sense of urgency” to his demands for more powers for London, as Whitehall civil servants would be distracted by negotiations with Brussels.

The Mayor’s call was backed by business and local government leaders across London but has not yet received Government support, although informal discussions are taking place.

Chancellor George Osborne has previously been lukewarm about more fiscal devolution to City Hall. source