Britain's backing Obama: Democrat beats McCain by five votes to one

I'm sure there are many Americans who find it hard to understand why the rest of the world takes such an interest in the American election process and why we appear to form such strong opinions of a contest in which we don't even have a vote.

But I think such criticism underestimates the way in which the American presidency affects all of our lives, whether one lives in the UK, Africa, Israel or anywhere else.

For instance, had Al Gore not been robbed of the presidency in 2000, then it is without doubt that the subject of climate change would have been treated far more seriously than it has been under George W Bush. And it's hard to imagine the Iraq war even existing without the neo-con lies and distortions which brought it into being.

So, it is with all that in mind that Britain is keenly watching events unfolding in the United States and, by an astonishing margin, the Brits are overwhelmingly behind Barack Obama.

Barack Obama is overwhelmingly Britain's choice to be the next US president, five times more popular than his Republican rival, John McCain, a Guardian/ICM poll shows today. Carried out ahead of the Democratic candidate's visit to Britain next week, the poll reveals that 53% feel certain he would make the best president, with only 11% favouring McCain; 36% declined to express an opinion.

I think this is simply an indication of how fervently the world desires change after the last eight years, and of how much John McCain appears to offer an extension of a mindset which the entire planet has had enough of.

The survey, carried out late last week, found that Obama's support is strongest among male voters - 57% of whom want him to be president. There are small regional variations in support: 50% back him in the south-east, against 57% in the north of England. But overall enthusiasm for an Obama presidency is solid across people of all ages and backgrounds. Unlike the US, there is no evidence of young Britons being keener on Obama than older people.

What will be interesting will be to watch the security arrangements made for Obama. It is unthinkable that he will be kept away from the British public as George Bush has been every time he has visited. When Bush comes to town no itinerary is ever published to prevent protesters being able to heckle him every inch of the way and his preferred mode of transport is helicopter to keep him a safe distance from a public which utterly loathes him.

Here's an example of the BBC reporting on a George Bush visit to the UK:

The United States President, George Bush, has arrived in Britain for the first full state visit by an American president amid some of the tightest security London has ever seen.

He was met by Prince Charles at Heathrow Airport before travelling via helicopter to Buckingham Palace for a private reception with the Queen.

London is the focus of an unprecedented security operation during the visit involving thousands of extra police officers and costing an estimated £5m.

Mr Bush will also be protected by hundreds of armed guards from the US during his visit.

The guards will not be granted diplomatic immunity and will be subject to the British legal system if they shoot anybody, the Home Office has promised.

Barack Obama, on the other hand, will be treated as a hero when he steps on these shores, despite the fact that he hasn't yet done anything.

But, as Obama himself says, he offers the hope that America is back, that the days of the US pushing the rest of the world around are over.

The centrepiece of his visit to Europe will be Berlin, where he plans to deliver a speech about establishing a new transatlantic relationship. Obama's extensive foreign policy team have promised a complete rethink for the post-Bush era. He will stress that, in contrast with Bush, he will listen to Europe. According to an adviser, he is also likely, to avoid being portrayed as soft, to call on Germany and France to play a bigger military role in Afghanistan.

Bush, through his then Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, made it very clear that he was only interested in the parts of Europe which agreed with what he had already decided upon, and spilt both sides into "Old Europe" and "New Europe". This had the effect of making many of us feel European in a way which we previously had not, and I personally became very proud of being an Old European, especially when compared with the brash neo-con Americanism that I was being berated for opposing.

And when I look at the disaster that is the Iraq war - and the complete collapse of support for the US and it's policies across the globe - I think Bush would have been well advised to have listened to what "Old Europe" was saying rather than to treat us with such disdain.

Thankfully with an Obama presidency listening to Europe, and treating us as genuine allies, is much more likely to occur; which is why five times more of us favour Obama rather than McCain.

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Tags: Barack Obama, John McCain, US election 2008, Europe, Nato