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Daniel Hannan

Daniel Hannan is a writer and journalist, and has been Conservative MEP for South East England since 1999. He has written eight books on European policy, speaks French and Spanish and is author of The Plan: Twelve months to renew Britain

What if Barack Obama was in fact born British?

 

By Daniel Hannan Politics Last updated: July 29th, 2009

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A surprising number of Americans believe that Barack Obama was not born in Hawaii, and that records of his birth certificate have been forged. See, for example, this clip, in which a Republican congressman tries to calm a sceptical audience.

A thought occurs. If the forty-fourth president was indeed, as the “birthers” aver, born in Kenya in 1961, he would have been born a British subject. Perhaps his entire career is a clever scheme to bring the colonists’ rebellion to an end and revoke the Declaration of Independence.

If so, we should ensure that the reunification of the two states happens on the best possible terms. It would be nice if Americans learned to make tea properly (clue: the water has to be seriously hot). They might even find that the rules of cricket repay study. As for Britain, we could begin by adopting (or readopting) low taxes, sheriffs, a separation of powers, open primaries, localism, the direct election of public officials, a non-state healthcare system, capitalism, patriotism and sovereignty. The more I think about it, the more attractive it looks.

Tags: Barack Obama, birth certificate, birthers, Hawaii, Kenya