Obama Spurs Tinfoil Hatters

After his joint press conference with Young Dave, Barack Obama was treated to a distinctly disrespectful tirade of abuse from those wanting to see Britain leave the European Union, typified by London’s increasingly occasional Mayor Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson’s “Part-Kenyan heritage” remark, which was only excused as not being racist by Bozza’s pals in the press. And there was more to come.

The Prez had told that the US’ priority for trade deals would be first and foremost with large blocs like the EU. Britain would, he said, be at the “back of the Queue”. Almost as soon as he had said it, the tinfoil hat brigade sprang into action. Users of Stateside English, they reasoned, did not say “queue”. They said “line”. So Obama could not possibly have written that line himself. Thus was born a particularly weak conspiracy theory.

And it may prove instructive that among the first to don their tinfoil hats were two individuals who love to call “conspiracy theorist” on others. Out of the blocks first was the Sun’s alleged “Westminster Correspondent”, Master Harry Cole, with “First time I've ever heard an American say queue”. Not been listening to Obama much, then.

Waddling in to pick up the baton was Cole’s former boss, the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines, to take the tinfoil hattery to a new level: “Wonder who gave him that ‘back of the queue’ phrase?” Yeah, it’s a conspiracy all right. And there was yet more.

James Kirkup of the Telegraph, demonstrating the title’s fall from its former position as a paper of record, stoked that conspiracy theory a little more with “And proof that this was pre-planned…” There was a plan! The plot thickens!

From there, it was but a short journey to full gaga mode, and willingly making the non-existent connection was Raheem “Call me Ray” Kassam of Breitbart London, an outstanding repository of tinfoil hattery, who declared “Obama threatens to send Britain to ‘back of the queue’. Who in USA says queue? No one. Line drafted by Number 10. Briefing against Britain”. And 10 Downing Street was in on the conspiracy!

It got worse: as Dave and The Prez left, Cameron motioned Obama to take his notes with him. For Kassam, this was the clincher: “This clip shows #Cameron urging #Obama to remove his notes from the podium. Why? Who wrote them? ‘Queue’?” Ray seems to have forgotten the time before last year’s General Election when Mil The Younger left his notes behind and someone from the Sun picked them up. Routine precaution.

After all that silliness, it was left to Erica Wagner to state the obvious: “So @POTUS use of 'queue' means Downing St scripted? Hmm. If I'm smart enough to use 'queue' for 'line' I bet Obama is too”. Got it in one. Obama regularly uses “queue”, as the Washington Post has had to point out. There was no conspiracy.

But good to see the tinfoil hat brigade in full gaga mode. Now everyone can see just how credible they all are. Or maybe not.