[0:00]
Newswoman: Welcome back you're watching CNN and we are bringing you special coverage of a special day and a special moment that is happening right now in Westminster Hall. I'm joined by my colleague Suzanne Malveaux, Wolf Blitzer, Richard Quest. Let's watch this.
[1:20]
Announcer: Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen. History is more than the path left by the past. It influences the present and can shape the future. We meet today in Westminster Hall a building begun 900 years ago when the Vikings were visiting the shore of what would become the United States. Even if it was Columbus who would subsequently demonstrate the politish-[The video skips forward here.] art of arriving late but claiming all the credit.
[2:00]
This hall that witnessed grim trials in the sentencing to death of a king, coronation banquets, ceremonial addresses and the coffins of those receiving the last respects of our people. Few places reach so far into the heart of our nation. Yet, until today, no American President has stood on these steps to address our country's parliament.
[2:36]
It is my honour, Mr. President, to welcome you as our friend, and as a statesman. Statesmanship is the cement which seals our shared idealism as nations. It makes meaningful the unity of ambition, passion for freedom, and abhorrence of injustice that is the core of our close alliance.
[3:05]
It has fallen to you to tackle economic turbulence at home, to protect the health of those without wealth and to seek that precious balance between security which is too often threatened and human rights which are too often denied.
[3:32]
History is not the burden of any one man or woman alone, but some are called to meet a special share of its challenges. It is a duty that you discharge with a dignity, determination and distinction that are widely admired.
[3:57]
Abraham Lincoln once observed that nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. Ladies and Gentlemen, the president of the United States of America, Barack Obama!
[4:36]
Barack Obama: Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
[4:56]
My Lord Chancellor, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Prime Minister, My Lords and members of the House of Commons, I have known few greater honours than the opportunity to address the mother of parliaments at Westminster Hall.
[5:19]
I am told that the last three speakers here have been the Pope, her Majesty the Queen and Nelson Mandela which is either a very high bar, or the beginning of a very funny joke. [English joke template: a ___, a ___ and a ___ walk into a bar...]
[5:48]
I've come here today to reaffirm one of the oldest, one of the strongest alliances the world has ever known. It's long been said that the United States and the United Kingdom share a special relationship, and since we also share an especially active press core that relationship is often analyzed and over analyzed for the slightest hint of stress or strain.
[6:20]
Of course all relationships have their ups and downs. Admittedly ours got off on the wrong foot with a small scrape about tea and taxes. There may also have been some hurt feelings when the White House was set on fire in the war of 1812. But fortunately it's been smooth sailing ever since.
And the reason for this close friendship doesn't just have to do with our shared history, our shared heritage, our ties of language and culture, or even the strong partnership between our governments. Our relationship is special because of the values and beliefs that have united our people throughout the ages.
Centuries ago when kings, emperors and warlords reigned over much of the world, it was the English who first spelled out the rights and liberties of man, in the Magna Carta. It was here, in this very hall, where the rule of law first developed, courts were established, disputes were settled, and citizens came to petition their leaders.
Over time the people of this nation waged a long and sometimes bloody struggle to expand and secure their freedom from the crown, propelled by the ideas of the enlightenment that would ultimately forge an English bill of rights, and invest the power to govern in an elected parliament that's gathered here today.
What began on this island would inspire millions to route the continent of Europe and across the world. But, perhaps no one drew greater inspiration from these notions of freedom than your rabble-rousing colonists on the other side of the Atlantic.
As Winston Churchill said, the Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights, habeas corpus, trial by jury, and English common law find their most famous expression in the American Declaration of Independence.
For both of our nations, living up to the ideals enshrined in these founding documents has sometimes been difficult, has always been a work in progress. The path has never been perfect.
But through the struggles of slaves, and immigrants, women, and ethnic minorities, former colonies, and persecuted religions, we have learned better than most that the longing for freedom and human dignity is not English, or American, or Western. It is universal, and it beats in every heart.
Perhaps, that's why there are few nations that stand firmer, speak louder, and fight harder-- to defend democratic values around the world than the United States and the United Kingdom.
Welcome back, you are watching CNN and we are bringing you special coverage of a special day and a special moment that is happening right now in Westminster Hall, I am joined by my Colleague Susan Malvo, Wolf Blitzer, Richard Quest-let´s watch this.
(Piano Music)
Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen: history is more than the path left by the past. It influences the present and can shape the future. We meet today in Westminster hall, a building began 900 years ago When the Vikings were visiting the shores of what would become the united states.Even if it was Columbus who would subsequently demonstrate the politish art of arriving late but claiming all the credit
(laughter)
This hall has witnessed grim trials and the sentencing to death of a king, coronation banquets, ceremonial addresses and the coffins of those receiving the last respects of our people. Few places reach so far into the heart of our nation, yet until today, no American president has stood on these steps to address our country´s parliament. It is my honour, Mr President to welcome you as our friend and as a statesman. Statesmanship is the cement which seals our shared idealism as nations, it makes meaningful the unity of ambition, passion for freedom and abhorrence of injustice that is the core of our close alliance. It is fallen to you to tackle economic turbulence at home, to protect the health of those without wealth,and to seek the precious balance between security, which is too often threatened, and human rights which are too often denied. History is not the burden of any one man or woman alone, but some are called to meet a special share of its challenges. It is a duty that you discharge with a dignity, determination and distinction that are widely admired. Abraham Lincoln once observed that nearly all men can stand adversity but if you want to test a man´s character, give him power. Ladies and gentlemen the president of the United States of America: Barack Obama!
(Applause)
Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you so much. My Lord Chancellor, Mr Speaker, Mr Prime minister, my Lords, the members of the house of congress: I have known few greater honours than the opportunity to address the mother of parliaments at Westminster hall. I am told that the last three speakers here have been the pope, her majesty the queen and Nelson Mandela, which is either a very high bar or the beginning of a very funny joke.
(Laughter)
I have come here today to reaffirm one of the oldest, one of the strongest alliances the world has ever known...
We are the allies who landed at Omaha and Gold, who sacrificed side by side to free a continent from the march of tyranny, and help prosperity flourish from the ruins of war. And with the founding of NATO –- a British idea –- we joined a transatlantic alliance that has ensured our security for over half a century.
Together with our allies, we forged a lasting peace from a cold war. When the Iron Curtain lifted, we expanded our alliance to include the nations of Central and Eastern Europe, and built new bridges to Russia and the former states of the Soviet Union. And when there was strife in the Balkans, we worked together to keep the peace.
Today, after a difficult decade that began with war and ended in recession, our nations have arrived at a pivotal moment once more. A global economy that once stood on the brink of depression is now stable and recovering. After years of conflict, the United States has removed 100,000 troops from Iraq, the United Kingdom has removed its forces, and our combat mission there has ended. In Afghanistan, we’ve broken the Taliban’s momentum and will soon begin a transition to Afghan lead. And nearly 10 years after 9/11, we have disrupted terrorist networks and dealt al Qaeda a huge blow by killing its leader –- Osama bin Laden.
Together, we have met great challenges. But as we enter this new chapter in our shared history, profound challenges stretch before us. In a world where the prosperity of all nations is now inextricably linked, a new era of cooperation is required to ensure the growth and stability of the global economy. As new threats spread across borders and oceans, we must dismantle terrorist networks and stop the spread of nuclear weapons, confront climate change and combat famine and disease. And as a revolution races through the streets of the Middle East and North Africa, the entire world has a stake in the aspirations of a generation that longs to determine its own destiny.
These challenges come at a time when the international order has already been reshaped for a new century. Countries like China, India, and Brazil are growing by leaps and bounds. We should welcome this development, for it has lifted hundreds of millions from poverty around the globe, and created new markets and opportunities for our own nations.
And yet, as this rapid change has taken place, it’s become fashionable in some quarters to question whether the rise of these nations will accompany the decline of American and European influence around the world. Perhaps, the argument goes, these nations represent the future, and the time for our leadership has passed.
That argument is wrong. The time for our leadership is now. It was the United States and the United Kingdom and our democratic allies that shaped a world in which new nations could emerge and individuals could thrive. And even as more nations take on the responsibilities of global leadership, our alliance will remain indispensable to the goal of a century that is more peaceful, more prosperous and more just.
At a time when threats and challenges require nations to work in concert with one another, we remain the greatest catalysts for global action. In an era defined by the rapid flow of commerce and information, it is our free market tradition, our openness, fortified by our commitment to basic security for our citizens, that offers the best chance of prosperity that is both strong and shared. As millions are still denied their basic human rights because of who they are, or what they believe, or the kind of government that they live under, we are the nations most willing to stand up for the values of tolerance and self-determination that lead to peace and dignity.
Now, this doesn’t mean we can afford to stand still. The nature of our leadership will need to change with the times.
