Speaker John BercowPresident Obama Addresses the British Parliament.docx

Speaker John BercowPresident Obama Addresses the British Parliament.docx

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SpeakerJohnBercowPresidentObamaAddressestheBritishParliament

SpeakerJohnBercow:

Mr.President,ladiesandgentlemen,historyismorethanthepathleftbythepast.Itinfluencesthepresentandcanshapethefuture.WemeettodayinWestminsterHall,abuildingbegun900yearsagowhentheVikingswerevisitingtheshoresofwhatwouldbecometheUnitedStates,evenifitwasColumbuswhowouldsubsequentlydemonstratethepolitician'sartofarrivinglate,butclaimingallthecredit.（laughter）Thishallhaswitnessedgrimtrialsinthesentencingtodeathofaking,coronationbanquets,ceremonialaddresses,andthecoffinsofthosereceivingthelastrespectsofourpeople.Fewplacesreachsofarintotheheartofournation.Yetuntiltoday,noAmericanpresidenthasstoodonthesestepstoaddressourcountry'sParliament.Itismyhonor,Mr.President,towelcomeyouasourfriendandasastatesman.Statesmanshipisthecementwhichsealsoursharedidealismasnations.Itmakesmeaningfultheunityofambition,passionforfreedom,andabhorrenceofinjusticethatisthecallofourclosealliance.Ithasfallentoyoutotackleeconomicturbulenceathome,toprotectthehealthofthosewithoutwealth,andtoseekthatpreciousbalancebetweensecuritywhichistoooftenthreatened,andhumanrightswhicharetoooftendenied.Historyisnottheburdenofanyonemanorwomanalone.Butsomearecalledtomeetaspecialshareofit'schallenges.Itisadutythatyoudischargewithadignity,determination,anddistinctionthatarewidelyadmired.AbrahamLincolnonceobservedthatnearlyallmencanstandadversity.Butifyouwanttotestaman'scharacter,givehimpower.Ladiesandgentlemen,thePresidentoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica,BarackObama.（applause）

PresidentObama:

Thankyouverymuch.（applause）Thankyouverymuch.Thankyou.（applause）Thankyou.（applause）Thankyousomuch.（applause）MyLordChancellor,Mr.Speaker,Mr.PrimeMinister,mylords,andmembersoftheHouseofCommons:

IhaveknownfewgreaterhonorsthantheopportunitytoaddresstheMotherofParliamentsatWestminsterHall.IamtoldthatthelastthreespeakersherehavebeenthePope,HerMajestytheQueen,andNelsonMandela--whichiseitheraveryhighbarorthebeginningofaveryfunnyjoke.（laughter）Icomeheretodaytoreaffirmoneoftheoldest,oneofthestrongestalliancestheworldhaseverknown.It'slongbeensaidthattheUnitedStatesandtheUnitedKingdomshareaspecialrelationship.Andsincewealsoshareanespeciallyactivepresscorps,thatrelationshipisoftenanalyzedandoveranalyzedfortheslightesthintofstressorstrain.Ofcourse,allrelationshipshavetheirupsanddowns.Admittedly,oursgotoffonthewrongfootwithasmallscrapeaboutteaandtaxes.（laughter）TheremayalsohavebeensomehurtfeelingswhentheWhiteHousewassetonfireduringtheWarof1812.（laughter）Butfortunately,it'sbeensmoothsailingeversince.Thereasonforthisclosefriendshipdoesn'tjusthavetodowithoursharedhistory,oursharedheritage;ourtiesoflanguageandculture;oreventhestrongpartnershipbetweenourgovernments.Ourrelationshipisspecialbecauseofthevaluesandbeliefsthathaveunitedourpeoplethroughtheages.Centuriesago,whenkings,emperors,andwarlordsreignedovermuchoftheworld,itwastheEnglishwhofirstspelledouttherightsandlibertiesofmanintheMagnaCarta.Itwashere,inthisveryhall,wheretheruleoflawfirstdeveloped,courtswereestablished,disputesweresettled,andcitizenscametopetitiontheirleaders.Overtime,thepeopleofthisnationwagedalongandsometimesbloodystruggletoexpandandsecuretheirfreedomfromthecrown.PropelledbytheidealsoftheEnlightenment,theywouldultimatelyforgeanEnglishBillofRights,andinvestthepowertogoverninanelectedparliamentthat'sgatheredheretoday.WhatbeganonthisislandwouldinspiremillionsthroughoutthecontinentofEuropeandacrosstheworld.Butperhapsnoonedrewgreaterinspirationfromthesenotionsoffreedomthanyourrabble-rousingcolonistsontheothersideoftheAtlantic.AsWinstonChurchillsaid,the"...MagnaCarta,theBillofRights,HabeasCorpus,trialbyjury,andEnglishcommonlawfindtheirmostfamousexpressionintheAmericanDeclarationofIndependence."Forbothofournations,livinguptotheidealsenshrinedinthesefoundingdocumentshassometimesbeendifficult,hasalwaysbeenaworkinprogress.Thepathhasneverbeenperfect.Butthroughthestrugglesofslavesandimmigrants,womenandethnicminorities,formercoloniesandpersecutedreligions,wehavelearnedbetterthanmostthatthelongingforfreedomandhumandignityisnotEnglishorAmericanorWestern--itisuniversal,anditbeatsineveryheart.Perhapsthat'swhytherearefewnationsthatstandfirmer,speaklouder,andfighthardertodefenddemocraticvaluesaroundtheworldthantheUnitedStatesandtheUnitedKingdom.WearetheallieswholandedatOmahaandGold,whosacrificedsidebysidetofreeacontinentfromthemarchoftyranny,andhelpprosperityflourishfromtheruinsofwar.AndwiththefoundingofNATO--aBritishidea--wejoinedatransatlanticalliancethathasensuredoursecurityforoverhalfacentury.Togetherwithourallies,weforgedalastingpeacefromacoldwar.WhentheIronCurtainlifted,weexpandedouralliancetoincludethenationsofCentralandEasternEurope,andbuiltnewbridgestoRussiaandtheformerstatesoftheSovietUnion.AndwhentherewasstrifeintheBalkans,weworkedtogethertokeepthepeace.Today,afteradifficultdecadethatbeganwithwarandendedinrecession,ournationshavearrivedatapivotalmomentoncemore.Aglobaleconomythatoncestoodonthebrinkofdepressionisnowstableandrecovering.Afteryearsofconflict,theUnitedStateshasremoved100,000troopsfromIraq,theUnitedKingdomhasremoveditsforces,andourcombatmissiontherehasended.InAfghanistan,we'vebrokentheTaliban'smomentumandwillsoonbeginatransitiontoAfghanlead.Andnearly10yearsafter9/11,wehavedisruptedterroristnetworksanddealtalQaedaahugeblowbykillingitsleader--OsamabinLaden.Together,wehavemetgreatchallenges.Butasweenterthisnewchapterinoursharedhistory,profoundchallengesstretchoutbeforeus.Inaworldwheretheprosperityofallnationsisnowinextricablylinked,aneweraofcooperationisrequiredtoensurethegrowthandstabilityoftheglobaleconomy.Asnewthreatsspreadacrossbordersandoceans,wemustdismantleterroristnetworksandstopthespreadofnuclearweapons,confrontclimatechangeandcombatfamineanddisease.AndasarevolutionracesthroughthestreetsoftheMiddleEastandNorthAfrica,theentireworldhasastakeintheaspirationsofagenerationthatlongstodetermineitsowndestiny.Thesechallengescomeatatimewhentheinternationalorderhasalreadybeenreshapedforanewcentury.CountrieslikeChina,India,andBrazilaregrowingbyleapsandbounds.Weshouldwelcomethisdevelopment,forithasliftedhundredsofmillionsfrompovertyaroundtheglobe,andcreatednewmarketsandopportunitiesforourownnations.Andyet,asthisrapidchangehastakenplace,it'sbecomefashionableinsomequarterstoquestionwhethertheriseofthesenationswillaccompanythedeclineofAmericanandEuropeaninfluencearoundtheworld.Perhaps,theargumentgoes,thesenationsrepresentthefuture,andthetimeforourleadershiphaspassed.Thatargumentiswrong.Thetimeforourleadershipisnow.ItwastheUnitedStatesandtheUnitedKingdomandourdemocraticalliesthatshapedaworldinwhichnewnationscouldemergeandindividualscouldthrive.Andevenasmorenationstakeontheresponsibilitiesofgloballeadership,ouralliancewillremainindispensabletothegoalofacenturythatismorepeaceful,moreprosperousandmorejust.Atatimewhenthreatsandchallengesrequirenationstoworkinconcertwithoneanother,weremainthegreatestcatalystsforglobalaction.Inaneradefinedbytherapidflowofcommerceandinformation,itisourfreemarkettradition,ouropenness,fortifiedbyourcommitmenttobasicsecurityforourcitizens,thatoffersthebestchanceofprosperitythatisbothstrongandshared.Asmillionsarestilldeniedtheirbasichumanrightsbecauseofwhotheyare,orwhattheybelieve,orthekindofgovernmentthattheyliveunder,wearethenationsmostwillingtostandupforthevaluesoftoleranceandself-determinationthatleadtopeaceanddignity.Now,thisdoesn'tmeanwecanaffordtostandstill.Thenatureofourleadershipwillneedtochangewiththetimes.AsIsaidthefirsttimeIcametoLondonasPresident,fortheG20summit,thedaysaregonewhenRooseveltandChurchillcouldsitinaroomandsolvetheworld'sproblemsoveraglassofbrandy--althoughI'msurethatPrimeMinisterCameronwouldagreethatsomedayswecouldbothuseastiffdrink.（laughter）Inthiscentury,ourjointleadershipwillrequirebuildingnewpartnerships,adaptingtonewcircumstances,andremakingourselvestomeetthedemandsofanewera.Thatbeginswithoureconomicleadership.AdamSmith'scentralinsightremainstruetoday:

Thereisnogreatergeneratorofwealthandinnovationthanasystemoffreeenterprisethatunleashesthefullpotentialofindividualmenandwomen.That'swhatledtotheIndustrialRevolutionthatbeganinthefactoriesofManchester.ThatiswhatledtothedawnoftheInformationAgethatarosefromtheofficeparksofSiliconValley.That'swhycountrieslikeChina,IndiaandBrazilaregrowingsorapidly--becauseinfitsandstarts,theyaremovingtowardmarket-base